Dalton Rushing

Dalton Rushing
Rushing with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes in 2022
Los Angeles Dodgers
Catcher / Left Fielder
Born: (2001-02-21) February 21, 2001 (age 23)
Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Bats: Left
Throws: Right

Dalton Wayne Rushing (born February 21, 2001) is an American professional baseball catcher and left fielder in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. He played college baseball for the Louisville Cardinals.

Early life and amateur career

Rushing attended Brighton High School in Brighton, Tennessee, where he played baseball. As a senior in 2019, he batted .491 with 11 home runs and 46 RBI and earned All-State honors.[1] He went undrafted in the 2019 Major League Baseball draft and enrolled at the University of Louisville to play college baseball.

Due to Henry Davis being named Louisville's starting catcher in 2020, Rushing began playing first base and started six games for the season before it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] He appeared in 28 games in 2021, batting .254 with four home runs and 14 RBI.[3] After the season, he played in the Cape Cod Baseball League with the Bourne Braves with whom he batted .314 with six home runs over 118 at-bats and was named a league all-star.[4][5][6] After Davis was selected first overall in the 2021 Major League Baseball draft, Rushing was named Louisville's starting catcher for the 2022 season. He finished the season having appeared in 64 games, slashing .310/.470/.686 with 23 home runs, 62 RBI, and 16 doubles.[7] He was named an All-American, and ended the season as a top prospect for the upcoming MLB draft.[8][9]

Professional career

Rushing was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the second round with the 40th pick of the 2022 Major League Baseball draft.[10] He signed with the Dodgers for a $1,959,390 signing bonus on July 30, 2022.[11]

Rushing made his professional debut with the Arizona Complex League Dodgers and was promoted to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes after two games.[12] He played in 28 games for the Quakes, hitting .424 with eight home runs and 30 RBI.[13] At the end of the regular season, he was promoted to the Great Lakes Loons so he could play in the Midwest League playoffs.[14] He drove in three runs in three games in the playoffs and had two hits in nine at-bats with two walks and two hit by pitches.[15] Rushing remained with the Loons for the 2023 season,[16] where he hit .228 in 89 games with 15 homers and 53 RBI.[13] He was also selected to represent the Dodgers at the 2023 All-Star Futures Game.[17]

Rushing was selected to participate in the inaugural "Spring Breakout" minor league showcase during spring training 2024.[18] He began the season with the Double–A Tulsa Drillers and was promoted to the Triple–A Oklahoma City Baseball Club in August 2024, where it was announced that Rushing would play primarily as a left fielder.[19] Between the two levels, he played in 114 games, with a .271 batting average, 26 home runs and 85 RBI.[13] Rushing was selected as the Dodgers Branch Rickey Minor League Player of the Year for 2024.[20]

Personal life

Rushing's brother, Logan, plays college baseball at the University of Memphis.[21]

References

  1. ^ "Coaches announce all-state teams". The Daily Herald.
  2. ^ "Louisville baseball: Complete 2020 projected lineup and grade | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com.
  3. ^ Irel, Jeff (June 8, 2022). "Covington's Ethan Whitley, Brighton's Dalton Rushing have excelled at college level | The Leader".
  4. ^ "#20 Dalton Rushing". pointstreak.com. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  5. ^ Goisman, Matt. "Sixteen Cape Cod Baseball League players to watch during the playoffs". Cape Cod Times.
  6. ^ Taylor Viles (July 20, 2021). "Cape League Announces 2021 All-Star Teams". capecodbaseball.org. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
  7. ^ "The Courier-Journal".
  8. ^ Holton, Brooks. "Louisville baseball's Dalton Rushing named to All-American team". The Courier-Journal.
  9. ^ Holton, Brooks. "How Dalton Rushing developed into Louisville baseball's top slugger, MLB Draft prospect". The Courier-Journal.
  10. ^ Stephen, Eric (July 17, 2022). "Dodgers draft catcher Dalton Rushing with their first pick, 40th overall". SB Nation. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  11. ^ Stephen, Eric (July 30, 2022). "Dodgers sign top draft pick Dalton Rushing". SB Nation. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
  12. ^ Glaser, Kyle (August 31, 2022). "Q&A With Dodgers Prospect Dalton Rushing: His Hot Start, Succeeding The No. 1 Pick And More". Baseball America. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  13. ^ a b c "Dalton Rushing College, Amateur and Minor League Statistics". Baseball Reference. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  14. ^ Stephen, Eric (September 12, 2022). "Dalton Rushing promoted to Low-A Great Lakes in time for playoffs". SB Nation. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  15. ^ Stephen, Eric (October 1, 2022). "Dodgers 2022 minor league hitting leaders". SB Nation. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  16. ^ "Where the Dodgers' Top 30 prospects are starting season". MLB.com.
  17. ^ "2023 MLB Futures Game rosters: Orioles' Jackson Holliday, Red Sox's Marcelo Mayer among notable names". June 26, 2023.
  18. ^ Toribio, Juan (March 7, 2024). "Here's the Dodgers' 2024 Spring Breakout roster". mlb.com. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  19. ^ Geirman, Scott (August 8, 2024). "Top Dodgers Prospect Dalton Rushing To Exclusively Play Left Field". dodgerblue.com. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  20. ^ Stephen, Eric (September 20, 2024). "Dalton Rushing & Jackson Ferris named Dodgers minor league players of the year". SB Nation. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  21. ^ "The Commercial Appeal".