It began in Los Angeles, where the Dodgers’ No. 1 prospect according to MLB Pipeline received his Branch Rickey Award for being the Los Angeles Dodgers minor league hitter of the year at Dodger Stadium and it ended in Utah where he launched two home runs.
“That’s pretty cool. The Dodgers fans and Dodger Stadium are just unbelievable, as it’s one of the best atmospheres in sports, if not the best,” Rushing told MLB.com. “I get recognized, and you hear all the die-hard Dodgers fans that know all the prospects, know all the players and they’re screaming from the front row, ‘Go get dressed. Go get dressed. Go put on a uniform.’ It’s pretty cool to hear those things.
“It’s pretty special.”
The No. 36 prospect in Major League Baseball took advantage of a day off to accept his award and watch his Triple-A teammates in action. He flew out of Los Angeles at 9 a.m. on Saturday, returning to Utah just in time to head to Smith’s Ballpark for Oklahoma City’s second-to-last regular-season game.
“For a second I was like, ‘Wow this is about to be a long day,’” he said. “But it’s the game of baseball – the less you think about what’s going on in front of you, usually things play out a little better for you.”
In the first inning, he launched a 432-foot two-run homer to the opposite field. Then in the third, he crushed a 461-foot home run — his longest in Triple-A — with an impressive 109 mph exit velocity.
The 23-year-old always knew he had power but a few adjustments in the box this season allowed him to unleash it.
“Coming into this year, my sole goal was to swing the bat more,” Rushing said. “I know there’s a higher risk with that. There’s also a higher reward. So by doing that, the strikeout percentage hasn’t climbed up like crazy, it stayed pretty consistent to 2023. My walk percentage went down a little bit, but that’s something you’re willing to take when you’re driving in more runs for the team and that’s just a sacrifice you take as a hitter. I think that’s the difference. I’m going into the box this year with that mindset.”
Those adjustments this season have paid off with 114 hits between Double-A and Triple-A, including 26 home runs. Rushing holds a .273 average and a .900 OPS as the minor league regular season nears its conclusion.
Since his promotion to Triple-A, he has hit .279 with a .918 OPS in 36 games.
