Brant Rustich P R R 6-6 225 1-23-85 UCLA
Rustich’s 2007 stats with UCLA: 20 appearances (1 start), 3-2, 6 saves, 6.67 ERA, 29.2 IP, 31 H, 20 BB, 28 Ks, 3HRs, .265 BA.
A scouting report prior to draft:
Fastball: Rustich features a fastball that sits in the 93-94 mph range.
Slider: Rustich's slider is a plus pitch at times.
Changeup: Rustich has thrown a changeup in the past, but didn't throw one in the weekend series against Winthrop.
Split-fingered fastball: He's thrown a split in the past, but didn't in his two outings over the weekend, perhaps scrapping it because of 2006 finger surgery.
Control: The closer commanded both pitches well over the weekend.
Physical Description: Big, imposing presence on the mound.
Medical Update: Rustich pitched in just six games in 2006 before a finger injury forced him to red shirt. He had surgery, but seemed to throw fine in the opening weekend, albeit without the split.
Strengths: Good two-pitch mix, presence for back bullpen.
Weaknesses: He doesn't have the pure power stuff necessarily to be a big league closer and he lacks deception. Some felt he'd have more value as a starter.
Summary: Overall, it was a good opening weekend for Rustich, who answered some questions about his finger. His delivery had improved from the previous year, with a slightly higher arm slot.
Another scouting report:
A physical beast at a listed 6-foot-6, 220 pounds, at times Rustich has three above-average pitches in his 93-96 mph fastball, power slider (at times touching 87 mph) and split-finger fastball. He's still bothered by a finger injury that caused him to redshirt last season, and his command is nearly nonexistent. In terms of stuff, he's a first-round talent, but his lack of pitchability makes him a 22-year-old with a 6.10 career ERA and 75 walks in 124 innings.
And a local article just after the draft:
UCLA right-handed pitcher Brant Rustich was selected by the New York Mets in the second round of the Major League Baseball Draft Thursday afternoon. Rustich, the 93rd overall selection in the 2007 draft, became the 28th baseball player in school history to be chosen in the first two rounds.
Rustich, a hard-throwing 6-foot-6-inch right-hander from El Cajon, Calif., leads the Bruins with six saves this season. The redshirt junior has tallied a 3-2 record and a 6.67 ERA in 20 appearances, striking out 28 batters in 29.2 innings. Rustich limited hitters to a .265 clip and made one start midway through the season.
Rustich becomes just the seventh Bruin to have been chosen by the New York Mets. At least one UCLA ballplayer has been selected within the first two rounds in three of the past four drafts. The former Grossmont High School standout received a medical redshirt in 2006 after suffering a finger injury. Rustich recorded a 1.50 ERA with 10 strikeouts in 6.0 innings of relief that season.
The Mets drafted Rustich in the 2nd round of the 2007 draft. He started the 2007 season for Kingsport (1-0, 0.87 in 5 games, 2 starts), but was quickly promoted to Brooklyn (2-0, 2.13, 0.39 in 10 appearances).
In September 2007, Rustich was assigned to play in the Hawaiian Winter League (which is always a sign that the organization wants to invest more time and money in you). It is also quite an honor for someone who was drafted in the same year to be assigned this high. Aslo in September, Baseball America ranked Rustich as the 20th top prospect to come out of the NY-Penn league.
In November 2007, Scouts.com ranked Rustich as the 4th top Mets prospect, while BA had him 6th.
In late January 2007, Baseball America ranked him as the 6th overall Mets prospect.
In February 2008, Baseball Prospectus awarded him a 3-star rating and ranked him as the 5th overall Mets prospect.
Also in February 2008, Rotoworld ranked Rustich as the #7 Mets prospect, saying:
Rustich was terribly inconsistent at UCLA, posting a 6.10 ERA and a 114/75 K/BB ratio in 124 career innings. He wasn't any better last year, finishing with a 6.67 ERA and a 28/20 K/BB ratio in 29 2/3 innings. Still, the Mets made him a second-round pick and he pulled off a stunning turnaround in the low minors, finishing with a 21/2 K/BB ratio in 23 innings. Rustich throws in the mid-90s and has a powerful build, so it's not surprising that he was drafted as early as he was. Still, he figured to be a long-term project. Now it's conceivable that he could see the majors before the end of this year, depending on whether his command holds up. He has a better chance than Kunz of turning into a closer someday. However, he's also the more likely of the two to have no significant career at all.
Rustich pitched dinged for most of the 2008 season, for Savannah, but still managed to post stats of: 3-4, 3.62, in 20 games, 8 starts, 48Ks, 49.2 IP
February 2009:
Toby Hyde: #13 - RHP Brant Rustich - Why Ranked Here: When he’s healthy, few pitchers in the Mets system can match Rustich’s mid-90s fastball and biting slider. However, Rustich has rarely been healthy. In 2008, Rustich’s season ended early when he was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his humerus bone in his right arm. Later, according to Adam Rubin, doctors found both a small labrum tear and damage in his UCL in his elbow. 2008: The Mets had planned to move Rustich into the starting rotation at Savannah in 2008 to give him an opportunity to garner more game repetitions to develop his repetoire. However, the plan was delayed when, by his own admission, Rustich went too hard too early in big league spring training and came down with a bout of dead arm at the end of camp. He worked his way into the rotation with the Gnats, but had blister problems that forced him to miss time before the stress fracture diagnosis that ended his season. When Rustich pitched, he pitched very well, fanning nearly a batter an inning with a K/BB rate of three. Projected 2009 Start: St. Lucie. The Mets will have to decide, based on his health, whether he’s a bullpen arm or a starter.
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