Maine native Matt Pushard is not taking anything for granted
Over the last year, the Miami Marlins have focused on improving their minor league system with an influx of young talent. While some of those additions, such as Andrew Pintar and Agustin Ramirez, have made headlines, they are not the only prospects standing out. One player flying under the radar is Matt Pushard, who has taken a unique path to Triple-A.
The Marlins signed Pushard three years ago after he finished up an impressive run at the University of Maine. For the Bangor native, getting to pitch for his hometown school was a dream come true.
"It was second to nothing," Pushard said. “I remember going to watch the games when I was younger. I grew up always wanting to play there. Being 20 minutes south of campus, you couldn't beat it. When I got the opportunity to play at the Division 1 level at the school I wanted to play, it was a dream come true."
While Pushard went undrafted, he did enough to catch the Marlins attention. They were the first team call after the draft ended, and Pushard was ready to take advantage of his opportunity.
“ When the draft rolled around, I knew I was going to be a free agent sign or late-round draft pick,” Pushard said. “ I remember waking up Wednesday morning after the draft. I got a call around 9:30, and it was the scout from the Marlins. That was the only call I ever got. I pulled the trigger on the first opportunity because I just wanted to play baseball.”
So far, Pushard has done nothing but impress. In 101 games in the minors, the talented 27-year-old has posted a 2.97 ERA and struck out 148 batters. Regardless of the level has been a reliable arm when called upon and made adjustments when needed.
"I would say the best adjustment I made was my mental game," said Pushard. "Just understanding why I'm throwing certain pitches in certain counts. Making sure I'm executing my two-strike pitches. As you go up each level, guys get stronger and smarter. Your routine flouts in Low-A and High-A turn into gap shots or home runs. Just trying to be smarter at each level.”
His hard work has paid off as Pushard is impressing in the Jumbo Shrimp bullpen, just one call from the majors. In 16 games this year, he has posted a .289 ERA and held opponents to a .194 batting average. He also got one save opportunity, which he converted. While his success has been hard to ignore, Pushard isn’t taking anything for granted.
“ Not many Northeast guys make it,” Pushard said. “The last person I can remember that came from Maine was Matt Kenney in the early 2000’s. You don’t get many opportunities when you’re from the Northeast. You don’t get the exposure that a bunch of the Southern players get. It’s been pretty great good. Just keeping my head down and going forward.”
As long as Pushard builds on his impressive start, it would be no surprise to see him in the majors pitching out of the Marlins bullpen later this year.