Dalton Rushing's strides behind the plate showing in the assignments Dodgers are giving him

New York Times

2 days ago

DENVER — The Los Angeles Dodgers have brought Dalton Rushing's development to the big league level for nights like these, where he can be in lockstep with some of the game's best pitchers and help guide them to dominance. The prized catching prospect has been a limited participant in the 43 days since being brought up to the majors last month. Such is life when the club already has an established force at the position having a career year.
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The Dodgers' faith in Rushing is instead reflected in his assignments. On Wednesday it was Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the likely first-time All-Star this season who commanded the richest contract ever for a pitcher before even arriving in the United States, taking on the mindbending launching pad that is Coors Field. On Sunday, Rushing spent 15 minutes talking through the Washington Nationals lineup with Shohei Ohtani before bookending the same lineup with the reigning National League MVP.
'It's obviously an honor,' Rushing said after the Dodgers took an 8-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies.
That's more than $1 billion in batterymates for Rushing's finishing school behind the plate. This is why the Dodgers wanted him here, to continue working with the big league staff, running meetings, catching bullpens and expediting his growth behind the plate so he can pair that with his bat for maximum impact. The Dodgers have a template in Will Smith, who charted his similar path half a decade ago. They've been planning for this stage of Rushing's development since before this spring, when they had him running their mock game planning meetings.
'It's a little more of understanding the way the game is played up here,' Rushing explained last week. 'Get to know some of these pitchers a little better. Get to know situational baseball a little better in the big leagues. I'm learning a lot every day, and I think it's going to really be beneficial.'
That has now included getting paired with some of the Dodgers' most notable and accomplished names. His second career start behind the plate was shepherding Clayton Kershaw's season debut. Wednesday marked Rushing's 13th start behind the dish, but he's fostering trust.
Yamamoto authored one of his most dominant outings yet, allowing just two base runners through five innings before a torrential downpour ended his night after just 56 pitches. That limited sample still reflected Rushing's ability to be nimble in how he called pitches. Even in a ballpark that flattens breaking balls and causes even the most devastating of splitters to hang in the air, Rushing kept calling for it.
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'I thought Dalton's fingers were great,' Roberts said of the catcher's game calling.
'I think he was calling my strengths pretty well,' Yamamoto said through interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda. 'And then the results I got today, that was just because of the way he called the game.'
Sixteen of Yamamoto's offerings were splitters, more than any other pitch. He tossed 14 curveballs, flipping conventional wisdom on its head and throwing it more than he did his four-seam fastball. He got a combined 10 swings and misses on the splitter and curveball, keeping an inept Rockies lineup off-balance.
'They were going up there pretty aggressive as hitters and those are the two (pitches) that kind of got them off-time and allowed him to create more swing and miss,' Rushing said. 'Didn't want to overuse the fastball, overexpose it or allow them to get a good swing on the ball.'
When the Rockies mounted a rally in the sixth inning, Rushing kept lefty reliever Alex Vesia on his slider against the left-handed Ryan McMahon, getting the swing and miss needed to get out of the jam because McMahon was early to the pitch.
'He was trying to get on the fastball for Vesia and he was just ambushing,' Rushing said. 'That's what this team does a lot of. So that kind of allowed me to get off their game plan a little bit.'
A half-inning later, Max Muncy hit a grand slam to break the game open.
Dodgers pitchers combined for 12 strikeouts while walking just two and allowing one run with Rushing behind the plate. Wednesday was a chance for Rushing to flash his growth, along with the ability to pivot as he adjusted plans midway through the night.
'He's asking the right questions,' Roberts said. 'He's watching, absorbing. And so I think that I want to continue to challenge him. He's building relationships with the pitchers, and I think that's the thing that if you do that, you get a little more grace with the pitchers. That's what I see right now, as a young ballplayer.'
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The Dodgers have done this while threatening stagnating Rushing's development with his bat, which got him high on prospect lists to begin with. Rushing acknowledged there's an adjustment process. Rather than work through his swing with everyday at-bats at Triple-A Oklahoma City, Rushing has had to get creative. He's volunteered himself for live at-bats for rehabbing pitchers whenever possible. He's made himself familiar with the club's Trajekt Arc pitching machine, which simulates opposing pitchers' deliveries and release points. Recently, he's tweaked his timing mechanism, simplifying his swing so it's better able to adapt on the fly.
'It's something I've never done before,' Rushing said. 'So essentially, it's going to be different. It's going to feel different. You show up with not a different mindset but a different day-to-day look. I'm used to showing up, I'm in the lineup every night. But that's not my role here and I embrace that. I'm finding a way to be prepared and do whatever.'
He went hitless but drew a walk on Wednesday, moving his OPS to .660 through his first 55 plate appearances. The 24-year-old has found other ways to impress.
He has so wowed the Dodgers' brass that Roberts, unprompted, dropped the 'S' word last month.
'He feels that he's going to be a superstar,' Roberts said. 'I love him in the box. He's very confident. He controls the hitting zone, and he's going to be a good one for a long time.'
How does that translate?
'I just think that he has talent,' Roberts said. 'I think that superstars that I've been around, they have an edge and they have a chip. And I just think that he plays with an edge and a chip. He always feels he's the best option, and that's what some of the best have.'
The Dodgers believe the bat will come for Rushing. Which makes nights like Wednesday, where he showed his proficiency behind the plate, all the more encouraging.