Pitcher Ky Bush
Ky Bush is a lefty starting pitcher for Saint Mary’s College in California and an arm that could entice the Pittsburgh Pirates in the draft. Bush was previously drafted in the 40th round by the Kansas City Royals but did not sign with the American League Central team. Bush went on to college and struggled in his first season.
He first went to Washington State University in 2019 where he pitched a total of 39 innings, giving up 55 earned runs, walking 21 batters, allowing 77 hits, five of which left the ballpark and having just 39 strikeouts. Once transferring to Saint Mary’s, the lefty starter put up outstanding numbers.
This past season, Bush pitched to the tune of a 2.99 ERA, 1.68 FIP and 1.12 WHIP through 78.1 innings. Bush has nearly doubled his strikeout rate compared to last season. His 34.7% strikeout rate is a 17.3% increase from 2019. He’s also shown much better command. Bush saw his walk rate fall from 9.4% rate to 5.9%. Home runs haven’t been an issue either. He only surrendered 3 for a strong 0.34 HR/9 rate.
Bush has a decent pitch arsenal. His fastball is his best pitch and averages out at 94 MPH, but has topped out at 96 MPH. MLB Pipeline sees his four-seamer as a 60-grade offering. His slider is another above-average offering coming in with a 55-grade. His slider is the better of his two breaking pitches. According to MLB Pipeline, his slider has more over-the-top action than a typical slider has, but he can differentiate his curveball enough in terms of velocity to separate them two offerings. He’ll also throw a changeup here and there, but it’s considered a work in progress. Both his change and his curveball have 45 grades.
Bush has a towering 6’6, 240-pound frame. He definitely has a strong frame for a pitcher. Plus he has a decent arsenal of pitches. However, he’ll need to develop that curveball just a bit more to be considered a starting pitcher long term. Though taking a big strong lefty with a solid pitch mix is a pretty good use of a third-round pick.