The Los Angeles Dodgers’ elite nature doesn’t end on the roster.
The front office has been anonymously referred to as ‘elite at everything’ by rival GMs, the elite fan support is constantly shown whether at home or on the road, but Los Angeles has proven over the past decade or so that they have another facet that keeps the ball club so dominant.
The farm system.
The 2020 and 2024 World Series championships were won in large part because of key alumni from the farm such as Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler, Will Smith, Gavin Lux, Tony Gonsolin, and other homegrown talent.
In an exclusive interview with DodgersNation’s Doug McKain, No. 1 Dodgers prospect Dalton Rushing talked about his urgency to get to The Show.
McKain asked Rushing if he has felt anything from the organization pointing to an imminent call up in the majors.
“I think for me,” Rushing said, “is how soon can that be. How can I press the envelope the soonest? How can I show up as ready as possible in spring training, force my own hand in a way, and the conversations we’ve had are very, ‘hey this year is a little different from last year.’
“I’m not coming in here to get comfortable with the guys, I’m coming here to stay comfortable with you guys. That’s kind of the mindset for me moving into this camp and that’s kind of the message that I’ve got. I appreciate that. It puts a little edge to it.”
The maturity that the 23-year-old displays is enough of a reason for fans to get excited about his potential arrival, but his stats back up the case even more.
A catcher turned outfielder, Rushing hit .271/.384/.512 last season in the minors with an OPS of .896. He added 114 hits, 26 home runs, and 85 RBIs.
Rushing will look to find a spot on the Dodgers’ major league roster, but it’s unclear whether that will be as a catcher or outfielder.
