Baseball's Ky Bush Drafted in Second Round of MLB Draft by Angels
Junior left-handed pitcher Ky Bush was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels with the 45th overall pick in the second round, becoming just the fourth Gael to be drafted in the second round or higher.
DENVER — After not landing a player in the abbreviated 2020 MLB First Year Player Draft, the first time Saint Mary's was shutout in the draft since 2004, they didn't have to wait long in 2021 to hear "Saint Mary's" announced on the big stage. Junior left-handed pitcher Ky Bush was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels with the 45th overall pick in the second round, becoming just the fourth Gael to be drafted in the second round or higher.
Ky Bush was elite all season long for the Gaels, pitching out of the Sunday slot in their rotation. The left-hander out of Ogden, Utah was 7-5 with a 2.99 earned run average in his first season in Moraga. The most impressive part of his game came in the strikeout department, where Bush led the West Coast Conference with 112 strikeouts, good for the fifth-most in a single season in Saint Mary's history. He limited hitters within conference play to just a .223 batting average, and continued to get better as the season went on. In his final six starts of the year, Bush went 4-2 with a 2.91 earned run average, while striking out 58 and walking just eight in 37 innings.
"This has been a lifelong goal of mine to get drafted and it wouldn't be possible without my parents, family, coaches, and teammates," noted Bush. "The relationships I have developed over the years through baseball have made me into the player I am today and I am very thankful for the people who have helped me get to this point. This is an opportunity of a lifetime and I am excited to start this new chapter in life with the Angels."
This marks the second time in Bush's career that he has been drafted, as he was a 40th-round selection of the Kansas City Royals in the 2018 draft, out of high school. This time around, Bush was able to garner strong attention from teams across the league thanks to his velocity and swing-and-miss stuff on the mound. Beginning the season sitting around 94 miles per hour on the fastball, Bush was able to hit 97 MPH by the end of the year, consistently sitting around 96 MPH. His curveball was also a wipeout pitch in 2021, with great depth and deception, and he also features a changeup.
"No one knew Ky would improve like he has over the last eight months," said Greg Moore, head coach of Saint Mary's Baseball. "He's worked hard and avoided distractions. The Angels chose one of the best stories in this year's draft, and an even better person."
The Los Angeles Angels have a need for pitching, and have spent their top two draft picks thus far on pitching, also taking Sam Bachman ninth overall during the first round on Sunday. The Angels have one of the best offenses in the majors, led by top-tier talents like Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, and Anthony Rendon. However, pitching problems have prevented the Angels from making the playoffs since the 2014 season, and Bush will be a key part of their revamped pitching.
The Halos have four primary minor league affiliates that Bush will likely see time in. Their Low-A affiliate, the Inland Empire 66ers, are located in San Bernardino, and their High-A affiliate, the Tri-City Dust Devils, are in Pasco, Washington. Staying in the west, the Salt Lake Bees are the AAA-affiliate of the Angels, as the primary baseball team in Utah. The Rocket City Trash Pandas are the team's AA squad.
Only three Gaels have been taken earlier in the MLB First Year Player Draft since it began in 1965. Mark Teahan was the highest-taken Gael, when he went 39th overall in the first round of the 2002 draft to the Oakland Athletics. Patrick Wisdom is the only other Gael to go in the first round, when he was 52nd overall to the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2012 draft. Martin Agosta went in that same draft 84th overall to the San Francisco Giants, as the only other Gael to be taken in the second round, prior to Bush. At 45th overall, Bush is the second-earliest pick in Saint Mary's history.
The remaining 18 rounds of the 2021 MLB First Year Player Draft will take place on throughout Monday and Tuesday. The previous four seasons the Gaels have had a player taken in the draft (2016-19), there were at least two Gaels selected.
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