Ky Bush Right At Home In Rocket City 

Baseball has taken Ky Bush many places. Born in Ogden, Utah, the 22-year old played collegiately in Washington, Arizona, and California, traveling all over the northwest. He’d even played in Alaska one summer. But the 22-year-old had never been to the south.

Now, he’s a big fan of the southern charm as he anchors a powerful Rocket City Trash Pandas rotation into a pennant race with just three weeks remaining in the first half.

“When I drove here from spring training in Arizona, I hit about 12 new states driving here. I’d never been to any part of this country before and it’s pretty cool,” he said. “The people here have been extremely nice and it’s great to be a part of it. No matter where you are, everyone treats you with so much respect.”

The journey to the Rocket City has been a long one for Bush, and not just in terms of miles on the roads. Without a big league team to root for in Utah, Bush became a Boston Red Sox fan, cheering on stars like David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia.

Through high school, Bush had played baseball, basketball, and football. But baseball was always number one. In college, his journey would be a wild one. After a freshman year at Washington State, the head coach was fired and Bush knew he had to move on, transferring to Central Arizona Junior College since he wouldn’t have to sit out a season.

That was in 2020, and he only made a handful of appearances in Arizona before the pandemic cut the season short. The missed season gave Bush an opportunity to improve, despite not being on a field for most of the year.

“I took the 2020 season as a chance to separate myself from other guys,” he said. “You could either make an excuse or use it as an opportunity to get better. I took the work ethic and the stuff that I did throughout that time and carried it to my new school (St. Mary’s).”

His 2021 season at St. Mary’s was dominant, as he finished with fifth-most in school history for a single season.

Why not cool down your Sunday evening by turning up the heat? 🔥🔥🔥 Ky Bush struck out 13 to help us end @WCCsports play with a 1-0 win on Sunday!

Full recap and complete video highlights ⬇️https://t.co/Ubt3vzGZdl pic.twitter.com/WXnm59HvT7

— Saint Mary's Baseball (@SMC_Baseball) May 17, 2021

Throughout the year, his draft stock slowly climbed, a far cry from the first time he went through the process after high school. In 2018, he was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 40th round of the draft but did not sign and attended college.

“I always knew college was what I wanted to do,” he said. “At the end of the day, I knew I wasn’t ready to play professional baseball after high school.”

That brought Bush to last July, when he was watching the draft on TV with his family. With the draft’s 45th overall pick in the second round, the Los Angeles Angels called Bush’s name, putting him on the path the big leagues.

Following a brief period at the Angels’ facility in Arizona, Bush was assigned to High-A Tri-City to make his debut under manager Andy Schatzley.

“It was a perfect spot to get my feet wet. The transition to Tri-City was great,” Bush said. “Andy was one of the first people I met there and right off the bat I knew he was going to be a great manager.”

Bush’s debut was limited to just 12 innings spanning five starts for the Dust Devils, with no start lasting more than 3.2 innings. But it gave him a taste of pro ball that he’d take back to his offseason training program in Arizona.

Expecting to return to the Dust Devils with a full season ahead of him, Bush impressed enough to earn the opportunity to start 2022 with the Trash Pandas. He’d be joined by many of the Angels’ 20 pitchers from the 2021 draft class.

“It was a great experience. All 19 guys that signed, we’re all super close. For us to be here together and knowing each other and having that comfortability make it a pretty cool atmosphere,” he said. “We’re all working toward the same goal.”

He also would be reunited with Schatzley, who would be making his Double-A debut with Bush in Rocket City.

“Finding out we were both coming here is even better. We’re comfortable with him. We know him, and he’s a great guy,” Bush said. “I’d run through a brick wall for him. He’s awesome.”

The results have been strong for Bush. Over nine starts for the Trash Pandas, he is 3-1 with a 2.91 ERA and 47 strikeouts over 46.1 innings. His last three starts have all been quality outings, giving up three or fewer runs and pitching more than six innings each time. His best start was on May 28 at Toyota Field, when he shut down the Tennessee Smokies, allowing one run and striking out a career-high nine to earn the victory over a tough divisional opponent.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to watch every professional start he’s made,” Schatzley said of Bush. “He’s gotten better every start this year and it is lightyears ahead of where he was a year ago. The quality of his results are definitely matching the quality of his process.”

That process has put Bush within striking distance of the Major Leagues. It’s a path 11th round selection and fellow Trash Pandas starter Chase Selection has already made, becoming the first player of the 2021 draft class from any team to reach the show when he debuted for the Angels a few weeks ago.

“It became real when Chase got called up. We thought about how less than a year ago he was in the College World Series and now he’s pitching in the big leagues,” Bush said. “It’s crazy to think about but at the same time you need to be ready for the opportunity and when it comes you’ve got to take it.”

As Bush pushes forward on the road to the show, he and his Trash Pandas teammates will ramp up the intensity as the first half playoff push nears an end.