Padres No. 1 Draft Pick Released By Tampa Bay Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays have released minor league pitcher Matt Bush, according to MLB TradeRumors. Bush, the No. 1 overall pick by the San Diego Padres in the 2004 First-Year Player Draft has found his way out of baseball after several spats with the law.

MLB TradeRumors reports that Bush currently remains incarcerated following a DUI charge in Spring Training.

His previous legal troubles include a suspicion of felony assault, an alleged drunken assault, which was caught on camera and misdemeanor trespassing- just to name a few.

Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Matt Bush (44) during photo day at Charlotte Sports Park. Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

Many baseball pundits and Padres fans view Bush as the biggest draft bust in team history.

The often troubled San Diego native was selected in the 2004 draft out of Mission Bay High School, in a draft class that included Superstars Justin Verlander, Stephen Drew and Phil Hughes.

At the time, the reason why the Padres selected Bush with the first pick was because he wasn’t a client of super agent Scott Boras, who usually demands top dollar for all of his clients.

It just makes you wonder what it would be like if the Padres had drafted Verlander, Drew or Hughes instead.

On Feb. 5 2009, the Padres designated Bush for assignment to make room for Cliff Floyd, shortly after it was learned that Bush was involved in a drunken assault on a high school campus. This incident ended Bush’s tenure with the Padres as he was dealt to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Bush was on Tampa Bay’s 40-man roster and restricted list for all of the 2012 season.

In 2011, Bush pitched for Tampa Bay’s Double-A affiliate where he pitched to a 4.83 ERA with 13.8 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 in 50 1/3 relief innings.