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Matt Bush (baseball)
Matthew Brian Bush (born February 8, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers and Milwaukee Brewers. He was drafted by the San Diego Padres with the first overall draft pick in the 2004 Major League Baseball draft. Despite being drafted first overall, due to numerous personal and legal problems, Bush did not make his MLB debut until he was 30 years old, in May 2016.
Bush attended Mission Bay High School in San Diego, California. He played shortstop, where his defense and arm strength made him a top major league prospect. He had a .450 batting average with 11 home runs and 35 runs batted in (RBIs). He also pitched, and he threw a 94-mile-per-hour (151 km/h) fastball with a curveball. Bush had a 5–1 win–loss record with two saves and a 0.73 earned run average (ERA). Bush was considered one of the best five-tool players ever to come out of high school.[citation needed]
He also played soccer and ran track in high school.[citation needed]
The San Diego Padres selected Bush first overall in the 2004 Major League Baseball draft, originally as a shortstop. When he signed with the Padres, he received a signing bonus of $3.15 million, the second-largest signing bonus ever given to a Padres draft pick. As it turned out, Bush was actually the Padres' third choice, as they wanted one of two collegiate stars, Stephen Drew or Jered Weaver. However, both were represented by Scott Boras, who was known for demanding hefty bonuses for his clients. Padres owner John Moores was unwilling to meet those demands, so he selected Bush. Bush became the first shortstop drafted first overall from high school since the Seattle Mariners selected Alex Rodriguez in 1993.
Bush's professional career began with his suspension before he ever took the field, for his role in a fight outside an Arizona bar. Bush hit .192 in 99 at bats between the Rookie-level Arizona League and the short-season Northwest League. In the 2005 season, Bush hit .221 in 453 at bats for the Fort Wayne Wizards of the Single-A Midwest League. During spring training in 2006, he broke his ankle and missed half the season.[citation needed]
Bush struggled again in 2007, hitting for a .583 OPS as of May 28. The Padres then converted Bush to a pitcher. His fastball reached a speed of 98 miles per hour (158 km/h), and he had prior knowledge of pitching from his days as a high school ace. After a promising start in rookie league, Bush tore a ligament in his pitching elbow in August 2007, ending his season. He had Tommy John surgery, sidelining him for 2008 as well. The Padres, however, placed Bush on the 40-man roster after the 2008 season to protect him from being selected in the Rule 5 draft.[citation needed]
Bush was designated for assignment on February 5, 2009, to make room on the 40-man roster for Cliff Floyd. Shortly afterward, it was learned that Bush was allegedly intoxicated in a high school parking lot where he assaulted two freshman lacrosse players. On February 10, Bush was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for a player to be named later or cash considerations. The Blue Jays put him on a "zero tolerance" policy. At a party on March 30, he reportedly threw a baseball at a woman's head and banged on her car window after accusing her of drawing markings on his face at a party in Dunedin, Florida. The Blue Jays released him the next day. He was out of baseball for the entire 2009 season.
On January 28, 2010, Bush signed a minor league contract with the Tampa Bay Rays. He played one injury-plagued season for the Single-A Charlotte Stone Crabs in the Florida State League before being added to the Rays' 40-man roster in November. During the 2011 season, Bush played for the Rays' Double-A affiliate, the Montgomery Biscuits of the Southern League, primarily as a late reliever and occasional closer. He was promoted to the Rays' top affiliate, the Durham Bulls, in September, but never appeared during their playoff drive. Bush was slated to begin the 2012 season in Durham, but the Rays placed Bush on the restricted list after a drunken Bush ran over a 72-year-old man's head during spring training and was released shortly after the 2012 season ended.
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Matt Bush (baseball)
Matthew Brian Bush (born February 8, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers and Milwaukee Brewers. He was drafted by the San Diego Padres with the first overall draft pick in the 2004 Major League Baseball draft. Despite being drafted first overall, due to numerous personal and legal problems, Bush did not make his MLB debut until he was 30 years old, in May 2016.
Bush attended Mission Bay High School in San Diego, California. He played shortstop, where his defense and arm strength made him a top major league prospect. He had a .450 batting average with 11 home runs and 35 runs batted in (RBIs). He also pitched, and he threw a 94-mile-per-hour (151 km/h) fastball with a curveball. Bush had a 5–1 win–loss record with two saves and a 0.73 earned run average (ERA). Bush was considered one of the best five-tool players ever to come out of high school.[citation needed]
He also played soccer and ran track in high school.[citation needed]
The San Diego Padres selected Bush first overall in the 2004 Major League Baseball draft, originally as a shortstop. When he signed with the Padres, he received a signing bonus of $3.15 million, the second-largest signing bonus ever given to a Padres draft pick. As it turned out, Bush was actually the Padres' third choice, as they wanted one of two collegiate stars, Stephen Drew or Jered Weaver. However, both were represented by Scott Boras, who was known for demanding hefty bonuses for his clients. Padres owner John Moores was unwilling to meet those demands, so he selected Bush. Bush became the first shortstop drafted first overall from high school since the Seattle Mariners selected Alex Rodriguez in 1993.
Bush's professional career began with his suspension before he ever took the field, for his role in a fight outside an Arizona bar. Bush hit .192 in 99 at bats between the Rookie-level Arizona League and the short-season Northwest League. In the 2005 season, Bush hit .221 in 453 at bats for the Fort Wayne Wizards of the Single-A Midwest League. During spring training in 2006, he broke his ankle and missed half the season.[citation needed]
Bush struggled again in 2007, hitting for a .583 OPS as of May 28. The Padres then converted Bush to a pitcher. His fastball reached a speed of 98 miles per hour (158 km/h), and he had prior knowledge of pitching from his days as a high school ace. After a promising start in rookie league, Bush tore a ligament in his pitching elbow in August 2007, ending his season. He had Tommy John surgery, sidelining him for 2008 as well. The Padres, however, placed Bush on the 40-man roster after the 2008 season to protect him from being selected in the Rule 5 draft.[citation needed]
Bush was designated for assignment on February 5, 2009, to make room on the 40-man roster for Cliff Floyd. Shortly afterward, it was learned that Bush was allegedly intoxicated in a high school parking lot where he assaulted two freshman lacrosse players. On February 10, Bush was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for a player to be named later or cash considerations. The Blue Jays put him on a "zero tolerance" policy. At a party on March 30, he reportedly threw a baseball at a woman's head and banged on her car window after accusing her of drawing markings on his face at a party in Dunedin, Florida. The Blue Jays released him the next day. He was out of baseball for the entire 2009 season.
On January 28, 2010, Bush signed a minor league contract with the Tampa Bay Rays. He played one injury-plagued season for the Single-A Charlotte Stone Crabs in the Florida State League before being added to the Rays' 40-man roster in November. During the 2011 season, Bush played for the Rays' Double-A affiliate, the Montgomery Biscuits of the Southern League, primarily as a late reliever and occasional closer. He was promoted to the Rays' top affiliate, the Durham Bulls, in September, but never appeared during their playoff drive. Bush was slated to begin the 2012 season in Durham, but the Rays placed Bush on the restricted list after a drunken Bush ran over a 72-year-old man's head during spring training and was released shortly after the 2012 season ended.