The time has not made upluring coils. The blow will not fall into an official statistics book.
But on February 28, at the bottom of the ninth round of a training match in the spring against the Angels at Camelback Ranch, top Riders perspective Dalton Rushing Intervened on the plate, saw the winning races on board and recognized the opportunity to make another impression.
In a count of 1 and 0, in a match from left to left, Rushing remained on a raised plateau and struck a double in the opposite field in the corner of the left field to secure the 6-5 victory of the Dodgers.
There was no dogpile. Barely rush showed a lot of emotion, apart from pumping the two fists briefly in the air.
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But in a camp which was to cement its place at the dawn of the great leagues – and to position itself for a first beginning of MLB at one point this year – the 24 -year -old receiver nevertheless supported the memory by telling it several days later since his locker.
“Obviously, it is training in the spring, there are 30,000 less fans here,” he said. “But that strengthens confidence with the staff here. It’s a bit like: “Hey, he can manage great moments.” “”
Thus was the theme of spring to rush, the choice of first round in 2022 of the club and the player of the minor league in 2024.
During three seasons in the Dodgers agricultural system, the fast -up slugger hit the lights with each stop, accumulating 49 circuits in total, 168 products produced, an average with the stick of .273 and a .930 OPS. Last year, he reached Triple-A at the end of the season and briefly seemed to be a potential call at the end of the season while the team experienced with him in the left field.
The phone, however, never sounded.
And this winter, the organization has decided to refocus its defensive work mainly at Catcher, the director general Brandon Gomes saying that the post must be “his meat and his potatoes”.
“(We want to see it) continues to improve there,” added Gomes during winter meetings.
Thus, in the camp of the big leagues this spring, Rushing continued to obtain the confidence of the MLB staff on both sides of the ball.
In the first days of the pre-season, he was pushed to direct “simulated meetings” with the team’s pitch coaches and the game planning staff, having to explain how he would manage certain launchers and attack specific opponents in the box. He was occupied behind the plate on the arenas, the live stick training sessions and the matches of the League cacti, trying to refine his framing and reception skills while perfecting his ability to call land.
And offensively, after being safe in 10 training in the spring of last year, he stopped supporting and began to show the coaches that “he will not continue, he will control the area,” said Rushing.
“As long as they trust me,” he continued, “I think that makes the task a little.”
While the spring camp ends this week, the seeds of such confidence have indeed started to take root.
While his double of Walk-off was one of the two strokes he collected in seven atbate strikes, Rushing has traveled eight times an amazing game in the Cactus League game, entering Sunday with a basic percentage of 0.684.
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He managed the little enviable task of being a replacement at the end of the game behind the dish, navigating a rotating door of launchers with confidence that struck club staff.
“He has nothing to prove, but he has a lot to learn,” said the manager Dave Roberts said. “And this year, I think it slows down, took a lot of conversations, information and having a very good camp.”
“He managed it well,” added bench coach Danny Lehmann, a key element in the Dodgers planning department. “I think he was exposed to certain things that he was not in the minor leagues which he appreciates. I think it’s the same deal with game planning and the capture and speed of the game and all that. It will always be a learning curve there. So I think he really works on it.
Rushing said his goal in the camp had been “to perfect the mental side” of his capture position; Using its time around the MLB list of Dodgers to, for example, to choose the brain of the starting receiver Will Smith about its own development process as a young great reader.
“Understand how to get aligned, how to save locations, how to sail in three lifters through four sleeves, things like that,” said Rushing. “Basically, how can I accelerate my process to be as prepared as (possible) for my first year in the big leagues.”
The hope of Rushing is that it is the year. His bat, said Roberts at the start of the camp, is already good enough to “hit the big leagues right now”.
Its path, however, is somewhat blocked. Smith and the Austin Barnes Relief Receiver remain on the MLB list. The outdoor field is full of veterans sluggers and public service players. Freddie Freeman is rooted to the first goal (another position where precipitation has experience). Shohei Ohtani is a daily designated striker.
And Rushing capture capacities, although improved, remain a work in progress; At least compared to high level that dodgers expect their backdrop.
“There have been things he did that was really good, and there are things he learned and that we can approach,” said Lehmann. “But this is the point of spring training, to obtain as many representatives as possible.”
This is why, for the moment, Rushing focuses on winning Trust. At one point, the need for an impact striker like him will likely arise. And when this is the case, he wants there to be no questions about his preparation for the big league – behind marble, as a striker, or in the type of end of game he encountered this spring earlier.
“He is far beyond his years until his age,” said Roberts. “It’s a special type of ball player.”
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
