Matt Bush Getting Call To Big Leagues, We Should All Root For Him

Matt Bush has been called up to the major leagues by the Texas Rangers. As a lifelong fan of the San Diego Padres I have had only one reaction to this news: good for him.

Bush was selected by the Padres with the first pick in the 2004 MLB Draft. He was a wildly talented shortstop and pitcher for Mission Bay High School in San Diego. The franchise had watched Bush’s record-breaking prep career, and given the salary demands of several other top prospects, Bush wound up being the selection. That was the high point of his time as a member of the Padres.

Over the next five years Bush was arrested several times in alcohol and assault-related incidents. On the field, he never showed the ability to hit professional pitching and was converted into a reliever in 2007. On the mound he flashed a 98 mph fastball, but just a few months into his conversion, he tore a ligament in his right elbow and underwent Tommy John surgery. The Padres had finally had enough and traded him to the Toronto Blue Jays in 2009.

The Blue Jays put Bush on a “no tolerance policy” for his behavior, and he violated it less than two months after the trade. He was released and spent the entire 2009 season out of baseball.

The Tampa Bay Rays picked Bush up in 2010 and he began to make his way through the ranks of the organization. He was set to start the 2012 season at Triple-A Durham, but during spring training he crashed his SUV into a 72-year-old man riding a motorcycle and fled the scene. He was arrested shortly after and had a blood-alcohol content of .18, more than double the legal limit. The Rays released him and as a result of the incident, Bush spent the next three years in prison.

After being released from state custody on October 30, 2015, Bush was signed by the Texas Rangers in December. Since then he has reportedly been a model citizen, and has been consistently pumping a 97 mph fastball over the plate. He’s already topped 100 mph several times this season. In 17 innings for Double-A Frisco, Bush is 0-2 with a 2.65 ERA, five saves and 18 strikeouts against just four walks. Before this spring he hadn’t thrown a pitch in professional baseball since 2011.

Back in October he was an inmate, now he’s a member of the Texas Rangers.

For a long time I hated Matt Bush. He represented everything I can’t stand about entitled professional athletes. He thought rules didn’t apply to him and didn’t care that he was ruining a golden opportunity that so few in this world get. When the Padres finally traded him my reaction was “good riddance.” When he screwed up with the Blue Jays, a part of me laughed but another part was a little sad. The guy just didn’t get it and I believed he never would.

My attitude changed with his DUI hit-and-run in Florida. At that point it stopped being funny or sad and became downright scary. That’s when I realized Bush simply wasn’t in control of his life. He wasn’t doing those things because he didn’t care, he was doing them because something was seriously wrong and he couldn’t find the grip to steer his life in the right direction. When he went to prison I finally began to hope that eventually he’d turn things around. Maybe that was the wake-up call he so desperately needed.

Bush says he’s been sober since 2012.

When the Rangers picked him up I finally hoped that this time would be different for Bush. I prayed that he’d finally have things figured out. He’s 30 years old, this is definitely his final chance to redeem himself. He has clearly grown a lot over the years, and my opinion of him and his past has as well. If he truly has changed, I’m more than willing to do so as well.

He used to be the guy the Padres drafted instead of Justin Verlander. He was known as possibly the biggest draft busy in Major League Baseball history. Now I’m hoping he’ll be known as the guy who made the most improbable comeback in baseball history.

When Bush finally takes the mound with the Rangers for the first time, I’ll be rooting like hell for him.