Speedy Homer Bush Jr. Wants Power To Develop Naturally
When the Padres drafted Homer Bush Jr. in the fourth round in 2023, team officials touted him as arguably the fastest player in the draft.
He’s certainly the fastest player in the Padres’ system today. Before the season began, he registered a pair of 6.14-second times in the 60-yard dash.
Bush’s tools extend beyond his speed.
The 22-year-old center fielder stole 33 bases in his first 37 tries for High-A Fort Wayne. He’s also beginning to tap to into the extra-base power that eluded him during a cold-weather start in the Midwest League.
Bush did not collect his first extra-base hit( a double) until May 8. In his next 35 games, the righthanded batter hit two home runs and eight doubles with a much healthier .273/.371/.388 slash line.
The power outburst followed a steady climb up draft boards at Grand Canyon, where his career began in anonymity despite being the son of a former major leaguer of the same name. But he was determined to make sure whatever gains arrived in that department did not take away from his No. 1 asset—his legs.
“I want to be the player that I am, and I want to tap into other aspects of my game,” Bush said before the start of the season. “But I want to let it happen naturally It’s about getting stronger.
“The big thing that people always talk about is power, but I have no reason to chase it.”
Listed at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, Bush estimates he put on about 15 pounds of muscle, with a nod toward the Padres’ strength-training coaches and the team’s dieticians as he looked to add strength without sacrificing an ounce of his speed.
While he was not aiming for a specific home run total as he began the season, he didn’t hesitate to throw out 100 steals in a season as a goal one day.
“I just want to show up every day and be the best version of myself,” Bush said. “If I do that consistently over the course of 100-plus games, I’ll end up in a pretty cool place.”
FATHER FIGURES
- Lefthander Robby Snelling’s sophomore slump with Double-A San Antonio continued on June 21 with five home runs and nine runs allowed—both career highs—over 5.1 innings at Amarillo. Snelling was 1-7 with a 5.92 ERA, 48 strikeouts and a 1.58 WHIP through 59.1 innings.
- The Padres’ other top pitching prospect, righthander Dylan Lesko, was 1-4 with a 6.34 ERA, 46 strikeouts and a 1.57 WHIP in 44 innings for High-A Fort Wayne. Lesko is in his first full season removed from the Tommy John surgery he had before the 2022 draft.
