Ky Bush

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.