Dalton Rushing
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| Photo: Twitter/ @daltonrushing7 |
Bio:
Age: 22
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 220 lbs.
Bats/Throws: Left/Right
Hometown: Memphis, Tennessee
Draft Profile: 2nd round, 40th pick of the 2022 draft by Los Angeles Dodgers
Drafted Out of: Louisville University
Career Stat Line: .276 AVG .438 OBP 17 HR 71 RBI 2 SB 0.985 Fielding %
We're going, going, back, back, to Cali, Cali, for this week's Minor League Spotlight, Dodgers' catching prospect Dalton Rushing. Memphis, Tennessee was where his story began though, playing two sports for local Brighton High School.
On the gridiron, Rushing donned the #4 under center, commanding the offense with a strong arm and sneaky dual-threat athleticism (Hudl). We're not talking Lamar Jackson now, but he certainly wasn't Matt Ryan in the pocket. The starting quarterback lettered two years for the Cardinal before hanging up the shoulder pads to focus on baseball.
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| Photo: Hudl |
Under the lights of what is now Mark Carrow Stadium is where the kid shined brightest. He rocked #5 behind the dish for all four years of varsity action, culminating in a magnificent final performance. As a senior, Perfect Game had him ranked as the 6th best prep player in the state of Tennessee. His play on the field suggested that they may have underrated him, as Dalton ripped .491/11/46 at the plate, finishing as a finalist for the Gatorade Player of the Year (Go Cards).
Despite the bursting potential at the plate, Rushing went undrafted the summer after he graduated. He had offers on the table from prominent division one schools such as LSU, Vanderbilt and Alabama, but ultimately decided to travel five and a half hours northeast to the University of Louisville, adding an 's' to the mascot he'd been represented by over the last four years.
After arriving at Louisville, he ran into a massive roadblock named Henry Davis starting at catcher, forcing the freshman to get his work in at first base during the 2020 season (NCAA.com). Tough luck there. To make matters worse, COVID cut things short about three weeks into the year, only allowing Dalton ten games of work. He batted .308 in 26 at bats, with an impressive .996 OPS (Baseball Reference).
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| Photo: Taris Smith/ Louisville Athletics |
2021 wasn't as kind of a bounce back as hoped for either, as he played in just 28 games behind the eventual top pick in the MLB draft. In limited action, the second year freshman posted modest .254/.342/.463 slashes with four dingers and 14 RBI in just 28 games. But the return to normal routine and the exposure to a full season of ACC baseball alongside a star like Davis was invaluable.
"Henry was a big brother to Dalton," coach Dan McDonnell told the Courier Journal, "so that means you're also hard on him." (Courier Journal)
Rushing would parlay that experience into a really productive stint in the Cape Cod League the subsequent summer, hitting a sharp .314/6/24 for the 24-9 Bourne Braves. He'd bring that same pop back down to Louisville for a strong sophomore campaign that saw his power blossom into 23 long balls while stroking a .310 average and .470 on base percentage. He went on a crazy streak to end the regular season, hitting nine of his home runs in the final twelve games of the season as the Cardinals surged toward the NCAA Tournament (Covington Leader). Unfortunately, the year, and his collegiate career, would end at the hands of Texas A&M in the Super Regionals.
A few weeks later, the 2022 MLB Draft was in full swing, with the 21 year old projected to go somewhere between the middle of the second and third rounds. On night one, his name was predictably not announced. July 18th was the big day though, with the Dodgers selecting the catcher with the 40th pick overall (MLB.com). He signed for the approximate slot value, just over $1.9 mil (True Blue LA), and was sent down for rookie league action.
The second rounder would only last two games at the Arizona Complex before receiving a quick promotion to Class A Rancho Cucamonga-- home of Workaholics-- where he'd spend the remainder of 2022. Rushing produced some earth shaking numbers for the Quakes, ripping a .424/8/30 stat line in 28 games, plus an eye popping .576 OBP (MiLB.com). Huge early dividends for Los Angeles.
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| Photo: Baseball America |
This season, the Dodgers have assigned their third ranked prospect to High A Great Lakes. In his 74 games as a member of the Loons, Dalton has struggled a bit with making consistent contact, currently hitting just .221. The power's been partially there though, as evidenced by nine home runs, and his 4:3 K:BB rate is in a pretty good place too. The defense has been improving and he's boasting a .402 on base percentage, showing a mature eye at the plate. Minor League Baseball also selected him to participate as a member of the 2023 Futures' Game during All-Star weekend, where the NL defeated the AL 5-0.
Given some of the trends throughout his playing career, expect the #46 prospect in game to make a big jump over the next year and a half of pro ball. 2023 has had it's areas in need of improvement, but he's also shown some real strengths. When encountered with similar speed bumps during his time at Brighton and Louisville, Rushing's overcame the adversity with ferocity every time it's appeared, propelling the kid into the next steps of his baseball journey. Why should this time be any different?
Check him out in the Great Lakes when he returns from the 7 day injured list, he'll be moving onto AA Tulsa before long.
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@Choppinglines
*I own no rights to any images found in this blog
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