Ky Bush

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Chicago White Sox #11 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 45/Medium
  
  Track Record: Bush spent three college seasons at three different schools before being drafted by the Angels in the second round in 2021 after his junior year at Saint Mary’s. He signed for an over-slot bonus of $1,747,500. The big lefthander, who had significantly trimmed his body in college, spent just over two seasons in the Angels organization before moving again, this time to the White Sox as part of the return for Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez at the 2023 trade deadline. Bush was injured for much of the first half of 2023 with a lat strain, and his stuff was flat and inconsistent the rest of the year. He posted a combined 6.91 ERA and allowed a .288 opponent average.
  
  Scouting Report: Bush delivers an average fastball at 91-96 mph and sits around 93-94 from a high, three-quarters arm slot with a wrist wrap in the back. His heater has tail and run, but he gets in trouble when he falls behind and leaves the ball over the plate. His best secondary pitch is a solid-average low-80s slider that’s complemented by a mid-70s curveball that occasionally flashes above-average and an average mid-80s changeup. His stuff is better when he expands the plate, which will come with more consistency. Bush has solid pure stuff, so a season without injury issues may show a better version.
  
  The Future: A good performance in spring training may allow Bush to break camp with Triple-A Charlotte, but he likely goes back to Double-A to get his feet back on the ground. He’s got No. 4 starter potential and with good health he could move quickly in a White Sox system that is undergoing a serious overhaul.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50
• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Angels #5 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
  
  Track Record: An unsigned 40th-round pick by the Royals out of high school, Bush began his college career at Washington State but transferred out after a poor freshman season and turnover on the Cougars' coaching staff. He spent the shortened 2020 season at Central Arizona JC and returned to Division I with Saint Mary's as a junior in 2021. Bush saw his velocity spike and control improve with the Gaels to fly up draft boards and was selected by the Angels in the second round, No. 45 overall, in the 2021 draft. He signed for an over-slot $1,747,500 and rose quickly to Double-A for his full-season debut in 2022, where he anchored a dominant Rocket City rotation and was selected to represent the Angels at the Futures Game.
  
  Scouting Report: Bush is a big, hulking lefthander at 6-foot-6 and 240 pounds. His four-pitch mix is headlined by an above-average fastball that sits 93-94 mph and touches 96 with sinking action out of his high, three-quarters arm slot. His best secondary offering is a sharp, plus slider in the mid 80s with a late vertical break that gets swings and misses. Bush manipulates the speed and break of his slider and uses it best going down and away from lefthanded hitters and to the back foot of righthanded ones. Bush can generate swings and misses with his fringy, slow curveball and he has a feel for an average, fading changeup, but both remain inconsistent. He is a sneaky-good athlete given his large frame and throws strikes with average control out of repeatable delivery.
  
  The Future: Bush's four-pitch mix and ability to throw strikes give him a chance to settle in as a quality back-of-the-rotation starter. He is in position to make his major league debut with the Angels in mid-to-late 2023.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55. Curveball: 45. Slider: 60. Changeup: 50. Control: 50
• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Angels #6 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: Bush took a circuitous route to professional baseball. The Utah native headed for Washington State after high school, but after a rough freshman season and some turnover in the coaching staff, he transferred to Central Arizona JC, where his 2020 season was wiped out by the coronavirus pandemic. Bush then transferred to St. Mary’s for the 2021 season and emerged as one of the best college pitchers on the West Coast. He posted a 2.99 ERA with 112 strikeouts and just 19 walks in 78.1 innings for the Gaels, leading the Angels to draft him in the second round and sign him for an over-slot $1.75 million.
  
  Scouting Report: Bush is a large-bodied lefthander at 6-foot-6, 240 pounds. He has a four-pitch mix out of his over-the-top delivery, headlined by a fastball that sits at 94 mph and touches 96 mph with late riding action. Bush struggled with his fastball command his first two years of college but gained a better feel of it at St. Mary’s, in part because he lost weight and gained better control of his delivery. Bush’s best secondary pitch is an above-average slider with more vertical drop than horizontal movement. His slow curveball and changeup are fringy pitches that are works in progress. Despite his large frame, Bush was athletic enough to play basketball in high school and has a good blend of stuff, feel and average control.
  
  The Future: The Angels believe Bush is just scratching the surface of his potential. With an improved curveball and changeup, he could be a mid-to-back-of the rotation starter.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #46 prospect in 2021 draft
  A 40th-round pick of the Royals out of high school in 2018, Bush spent his freshman year at Washington State before transferring to Central Arizona JC for his sophomore season and landing at St. Mary’s this year. A big-bodied lefthander at 6-foot-5, 240 pounds, he previously struggled with his weight but emerged this season trimmer and with a better delivery, leading to major improvements in both his stuff and control. He went 7-5, 2.99 with 112 strikeouts and 19 walks in 78.1 innings for the Gaels during the regular season. Bush is an intimidating presence on the mound and powers his fastball downhill from the left side. He sat in the low 90s and topped out at 94 early in the season, but his stuff ticked up throughout the year and he sat 93-94 and touched 96 mph by the end of the season. His best secondary offering is an above-average slider in the mid 80s that gets swings and misses, and he complements it with a potentially average changeup in the mid 80s and a usable curveball in the upper 70s he can land in the strike zone as a change-of-pace offering. Bush struggled throwing strikes in the past, but he showed above-average control this season with his improved physique and delivery. His steady improvement over the past year has teams optimistic he’s on an upward trajectory. With his size, stuff from the left side and newfound control, Bush has pushed himself into top-two rounds consideration and won’t get past the third round.

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
  
  Track Record: An unsigned 40th-round pick by the Royals out of high school, Bush began his college career at Washington State but transferred out after a poor freshman season and turnover on the Cougars' coaching staff. He spent the shortened 2020 season at Central Arizona JC and returned to Division I with Saint Mary's as a junior in 2021. Bush saw his velocity spike and control improve with the Gaels to fly up draft boards and was selected by the Angels in the second round, No. 45 overall, in the 2021 draft. He signed for an over-slot $1,747,500 and rose quickly to Double-A for his full-season debut in 2022, where he anchored a dominant Rocket City rotation and was selected to represent the Angels at the Futures Game.
  
  Scouting Report: Bush is a big, hulking lefthander at 6-foot-6 and 240 pounds. His four-pitch mix is headlined by an above-average fastball that sits 93-94 mph and touches 96 with sinking action out of his high, three-quarters arm slot. His best secondary offering is a sharp, plus slider in the mid 80s with a late vertical break that gets swings and misses. Bush manipulates the speed and break of his slider and uses it best going down and away from lefthanded hitters and to the back foot of righthanded ones. Bush can generate swings and misses with his fringy, slow curveball and he has a feel for an average, fading changeup, but both remain inconsistent. He is a sneaky-good athlete given his large frame and throws strikes with average control out of repeatable delivery.
  
  The Future: Bush's four-pitch mix and ability to throw strikes give him a chance to settle in as a quality back-of-the-rotation starter. He is in position to make his major league debut with the Angels in mid-to-late 2023.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55. Curveball: 45. Slider: 60. Changeup: 50. Control: 50
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
  
  Track Record: An unsigned 40th-round pick by the Royals out of high school, Bush began his college career at Washington State but transferred out after a poor freshman season and turnover on the Cougars' coaching staff. He spent the shortened 2020 season at Central Arizona JC and returned to Division I with Saint Mary's as a junior in 2021. Bush saw his velocity spike and control improve with the Gaels to fly up draft boards and was selected by the Angels in the second round, No. 45 overall, in the 2021 draft. He signed for an over-slot $1,747,500 and rose quickly to Double-A for his full-season debut in 2022, where he anchored a dominant Rocket City rotation and was selected to represent the Angels at the Futures Game.
  
  Scouting Report: Bush is a big, hulking lefthander at 6-foot-6 and 240 pounds. His four-pitch mix is headlined by an above-average fastball that sits 93-94 mph and touches 96 with sinking action out of his high, three-quarters arm slot. His best secondary offering is a sharp, plus slider in the mid 80s with a late vertical break that gets swings and misses. Bush manipulates the speed and break of his slider and uses it best going down and away from lefthanded hitters and to the back foot of righthanded ones. Bush can generate swings and misses with his fringy, slow curveball and he has a feel for an average, fading changeup, but both remain inconsistent. He is a sneaky-good athlete given his large frame and throws strikes with average control out of repeatable delivery.
  
  The Future: Bush's four-pitch mix and ability to throw strikes give him a chance to settle in as a quality back-of-the-rotation starter. He is in position to make his major league debut with the Angels in mid-to-late 2023.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55. Curveball: 45. Slider: 60. Changeup: 50. Control: 50
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 50/High
  
  Track Record: Bush took a circuitous route to professional baseball. The Utah native headed for Washington State after high school, but after a rough freshman season and some turnover in the coaching staff, he transferred to Central Arizona JC, where his 2020 season was wiped out by the coronavirus pandemic. Bush then transferred to St. Mary&#39s for the 2021 season and emerged as one of the best college pitchers on the West Coast. He posted a 2.99 ERA with 112 strikeouts and just 19 walks in 78.1 innings for the Gaels, leading the Angels to draft him in the second round and sign him for an over-slot $1.75 million.
  
  Scouting Report: Bush is a large-bodied lefthander at 6-foot-6, 240 pounds. He has a four-pitch mix out of his over-the-top delivery, headlined by a fastball that sits at 94 mph and touches 96 mph with late riding action. Bush struggled with his fastball command his first two years of college but gained a better feel of it at St. Mary&#39s, in part because he lost weight and gained better control of his delivery. Bush&#39s best secondary pitch is an above-average slider with more vertical drop than horizontal movement. His slow curveball and changeup are fringy pitches that are works in progress. Despite his large frame, Bush was athletic enough to play basketball in high school and has a good blend of stuff, feel and average control.
  
  The Future: The Angels believe Bush is just scratching the surface of his potential. With an improved curveball and changeup, he could be a mid-to-back-of the rotation starter.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60. Curveball: 45. Slider: 55. Changeup: 45. Control: 50.
• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Bush took a circuitous route to professional baseball. The Utah native headed for Washington State after high school, but after a rough freshman season and some turnover in the coaching staff, he transferred to Central Arizona JC, where his 2020 season was wiped out by the coronavirus pandemic. Bush then transferred to St. Mary’s for the 2021 season and emerged as one of the best college pitchers on the West Coast. He posted a 2.99 ERA with 112 strikeouts and just 19 walks in 78.1 innings for the Gaels, leading the Angels to draft him in the second round and sign him for an over-slot $1.75 million.
  
  Scouting Report: Bush is a large-bodied lefthander at 6-foot-6, 240 pounds. He has a four-pitch mix out of his over-the-top delivery, headlined by a fastball that sits at 94 mph and touches 96 mph with late riding action. Bush struggled with his fastball command his first two years of college but gained a better feel of it at St. Mary’s, in part because he lost weight and gained better control of his delivery. Bush’s best secondary pitch is an above-average slider with more vertical drop than horizontal movement. His slow curveball and changeup are fringy pitches that are works in progress. Despite his large frame, Bush was athletic enough to play basketball in high school and has a good blend of stuff, feel and average control.
  
  The Future: The Angels believe Bush is just scratching the surface of his potential. With an improved curveball and changeup, he could be a mid-to-back-of the rotation starter.
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  A 40th-round pick of the Royals out of high school in 2018, Bush spent his freshman year at Washington State before transferring to Central Arizona JC for his sophomore season and landing at St. Mary's this year. A big-bodied lefthander at 6-foot-5, 240 pounds, he previously struggled with his weight but emerged this season trimmer and with a better delivery, leading to major improvements in both his stuff and control. He went 7-5, 2.99 with 112 strikeouts and 19 walks in 78.1 innings for the Gaels during the regular season. Bush is an intimidating presence on the mound and powers his fastball downhill from the left side. He sat in the low 90s and topped out at 94 early in the season, but his stuff ticked up throughout the year and he sat 93-94 and touched 96 mph by the end of the season. His best secondary offering is an above-average slider in the mid 80s that gets swings and misses, and he complements it with a potentially average changeup in the mid 80s and a usable curveball in the upper 70s he can land in the strike zone as a change-of-pace offering. Bush struggled throwing strikes in the past, but he showed above-average control this season with his improved physique and delivery. His steady improvement over the past year has teams optimistic he's on an upward trajectory. With his size, stuff from the left side and newfound control, Bush pushed himself into top-two rounds consideration, going No. 45 overall to the Angels.