Newest Rome Braves facing test
Draft picks Austin Bush and Jordan Rodgers are already making an impact for the Rome Braves.
Jordan Rodgers and Austin Bush are already making an impact.
One week before hearing their name called during the 2017 MLB draft, Austin Bush and Jordan Rodgers befriended each other during a pre-draft workout for a number of teams.
Both infielders felt eager to prove to any of them that they were ready for the jump from college to professional baseball. One month later and Bush and Rodgers are together in Rome proving exactly that.
The two infielders were assigned to the Atlanta Braves’ Class A affiliate on June 22, less than two weeks after being drafted — Rodgers in the sixth round and Bush in the 15th — and they’ve become two of the most impactful players on the team.
“I guess we’re kind of getting used to it, but it’s baseball. It’s
been the game that I have loved since I was a kid; that hasn’t changed,” Bush said. “It’s just been the level of competition has gotten better, and I’m happy with what I’ve done so far.”
Since joining the lineup, Bush
and Rodgers have been in the top five on the team in batting average, and Bush is second on the team in hits (eight) and RBIs (four).
The pair provided an immediate offensive spark, with one
player either recording a run or an RBI in the first five games of the second half.
Meanwhile, the two committed only one error combined through their first seven games with Rome.
After the two knew they were both being sent to Rome, their friendship grew as they prepared to enter professional baseball.
“We’ve been together for about two weeks now, so we’re going through it all together,” Rodgers said. “We’re just trying to pick each other’s brains and it’s been fun so far. He’s helped me out a lot.”
The trip to Rome was especially meaningful for Bush, who thought for a few days he would be reunited with former teammate Brett Cumberland, who was a power hitter for Rome in the first half.
The two of them have been friends since first grade and played with each other at Turlock High School in California.
As it would turn out, Bush would actually be replacing his friend in the lineup, with Cumberland getting called up to the Advanced Class A Florida Fire Frogs as Rome was coming out of the All-Star break.
“When I told him I was coming to Rome with him, he was like ‘Let’s go, man!’ We were both getting fired up about it,” Bush said. “A few days later, he’s getting the call and telling me he’s going to Florida. I hope I can see him soon.”
With their performances in college, their numbers shouldn’t come as a huge surprise.
Rodgers was a first team AllSEC selection at Tennessee, leading the Vols in batting average (.322), home runs (9) and RBIs (35) this season. The third baseman reached base in his first 37 starts of the season, setting a school record.
In his last season at UC-Santa Barbara, Bush broke the single-season record for home runs with 20. A year before he was named Nashville Regional MVP during the Gauchos’ run to the College World Series.
The biggest thing Bush and Rodgers can hope for is continuing to put up big numbers for Rome. The Braves still are working through scoring woes, scoring four runs or less in five of the team’s first seven games in the second half.
Both players want to help with that, and anything else the club might ask. It is a new experience playing professional, but both of them are ready for any new challenge.
“I think the biggest transition is being treated like men, just realizing what is expected and being at this new ballpark,” Rodgers said. “In college you have a lot of things going on, but this is just our jobs now. Now we’re taking care of our responsibility.”