Dalton Rushing stood on the Dodger Stadium field on Friday and waved to the cheering fans that he hopes to play in front of one day soon.

¡°That's pretty cool. The Dodgers fans and Dodger Stadium are just unbelievable, as it's one of the best atmospheres in sports, if not the best,¡± Rushing said. ¡°I get recognized, and you hear all the die-hard Dodgers fans that know all the prospects, know all the players and they're screaming from the front row, ¡®Go get dressed. Go get dressed. Go put on a uniform.¡¯ It's pretty cool to hear those things.

"It¡¯s pretty special.¡±

Rushing wasn't there to play just yet -- he was in Southern California to be honored as the Dodgers' Branch Rickey Award winner, bestowed upon the team's Minor League Hitter of the Year.

MLB¡¯s No. 36 prospect was able to enjoy a day off, receive his award and watch his Triple-A teammates play. He flew out of Los Angeles on Saturday at 9 a.m. back to Utah and headed straight to Smith¡¯s Ballpark for the penultimate game of the regular season with Oklahoma City.

The Dodgers¡¯ top prospect immediately proved why he was chosen. Rushing smashed two homers in Saturday¡¯s 13-2 win over Salt Lake, collecting hits in each of his first three at-bats.

¡°For a second I was like, ¡®Wow this is about to be a long day,¡¯¡± he said. ¡°But it¡¯s the game of baseball -- the less you think about what¡¯s going on in front of you, usually things play out a little better for you.¡±

In the first inning, he knocked a 432-foot two-run homer to the opposite field. In the third, he smashed another dinger 461 feet -- his longest thus far at Triple-A -- with an exit velocity of 109 mph.

The 23-year-old always knew he had power behind his swing, unlocking it further with tweaks to his approach in the batter¡¯s box this season.

¡°Coming into this year, my sole goal was to swing the bat more,¡± Rushing said. ¡°I know there's a higher risk with that. There's also a higher reward. So by doing that, the strikeout percentage hasn't climbed up like crazy, it stayed pretty consistent to 2023. My walk percentage went down a little bit, but that's something you're willing to take when you're driving in more runs for the team and that's just a sacrifice you take as a hitter. I think that's the difference. I¡¯m going into the box this year with that mindset.¡±

His adjustments have resulted in 114 hits across Double-A and Triple-A for the season with 26 home runs. Rushing sports a .273 average and .900 OPS as the Minor League regular season approaches the end. Yet in 36 games since being promoted to Triple-A, Rushing is batting .279 with a .918 OPS.

The 2022 second-rounder was able to maintain his high production while also adjusting to a new position. Drafted and developed as a catcher throughout Single-A, High-A and Double-A, when Rushing got the call to Oklahoma City in August, he began the transition to playing left field -- a position he had only previously played during summer ball.

¡°The engagement was the biggest thing,¡± he said. ¡°As a catcher, you have the power to call the whole game. ... Going out to left field, it¡¯s an adjustment because I can only control the things that come my way. Outside of that, it's really solely my performance. How can I help us score as many runs as possible when I'm in the box and save as many runs as possible when I'm out in left field? So it was different, but I try to keep the same mindset out there. Pitch by pitch, understanding what I believe as a catcher is going to be called, helps me anticipate jumps, and reads off the bat out there.

"And obviously it's new for me, so [I¡¯ve] only been a couple of months out there in left field, but at this moment, I feel pretty serviceable.¡±

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Every adjustment and transition has gotten Rushing closer to playing in Dodger Blue. Getting to step onto the field at Dodger Stadium was a reminder him of how close he is to his dream.

¡°I'm excited to be at Dodger Stadium," Rushing said. "Whether that comes in the next month or that comes next season, I'm ready to go and excited to play in Los Angeles."