Bubba Alleyne: Commitment and Excellence

Alleyne grew up in Philadelphia and was an integral part of building a great program at Chestnut Hill. His coach, Joe Ishikawa, is a prominent figure in the Philadelphia baseball scene and still has hitting facilities that Alleyne uses in the off-season. Ishikawa has built the program at Chestnut Hill on many of the same principles as the Dodgers, hard work and relationships. 

Players, like Alleyne, that play in his program, feel as if they are part of a family, and they go to battle for each other accordingly.

Alleyne really enjoyed this type of atmosphere and, as you would expect, had a great Prep career. During his career at Chestnut Hill, he was All-League on 3 different occasions, was the MVP of his baseball team, and was named the defensive player of the year. 

He has great memories of that time in his life. 

 It really started with my brother before me when I was a Freshman and he was a Senior. 

That was Coach Ish’s first year in the program and I learned how he wanted the program to go, and it was nice because it was really just built around family and playing for each other. 

I saw that as a Freshman and just tried to continue it with my teammates and leave that same kind of legacy behind. That was something that was special and is an aspect that is still very prominent in that program today, and that’s why I think it will be successful for a very long time. 

Maryland

As Alleyne was looking for the next step in his career, one sentiment began to take the forefront and that is commitment. He wanted a College that would make a commitment to him and would allow him to grow. 

Maryland was that place. 

They opened their doors to the young Philadelphia native, and he gave back a commitment to 5 years of excellence.

Although he did get some early playing time, things didn’t exactly come easy right off the bat when he hit just .080 in his first season on Campus in 25 at-bats. But, remember, when Alleyne makes a commitment, he sticks to it, and he dug in and kept getting better each year. 

As a Sophomore, he hit .223 and by the time he was a Junior, he led the team in runs scored, and stolen bases, and ranked 2nd in hits, doubles, and stolen bases. 

Then, as a final payoff to the commitment both he showed Maryland and they showed him, he became an All-American.

As a matter of fact, he was also the Big Ten Player of the Year, a Golden Spikes Semifinalist, first-team All-Big Ten, and made the All-Regional team.

His story is one that flies in the face of this day and age of the Transfer Portal and NIL deals because his goal wasn’t self-promotion, it was improvement done the right way through commitment and hard work. 

It’s truly a story that needs to be told and one that must be used as an example for all young athletes who erroneously assume that the grass is automatically greener on the other side of the fence. 

Commitment is something I really value. Especially now with the Transfer Portal and NIL stuff where people are bouncing all over the place. 

Something that was important to me was when I committed to Maryland, I wanted to earn my spot there and leave a legacy. And I really didn’t believe in transferring myself, because I was like, I committed to going here and I’m gonna earn my opportunities, and fortunately, I was able to do that within the five years I was there, so Maryland is a really special place for me. 

Alleyne certainly did leave a legacy at Maryland, but in more ways than just his All-American play of the field. He left a legacy of what can happen when you earn everything you get. 

Dodgers

Alleyne was drafted by the Dodgers last Summer in the 19th Round and joined a Rancho team that was, quite possibly, the most entertaining team in baseball once his draft class arrived. He was hoping to get drafted by the Dodgers and knew it was a possibility but was still full of nerves on draft day waiting for his name to be called. 

After Day 2 was over we were talking and the Dodgers told me we could make a deal for the next day and to not get anxious and to be patient. Then Day 3 came and I was nervous when I wasn’t getting any calls, then I finally got a call after the 17th Round telling me they were going to draft me in the 19th. 

So, that was a relief knowing I was going to get picked, and especially by the Dodgers because that’s what we were looking for. 

Feature Cut

Alleyne joined Rancho on August 1st and it didn’t take him long to make an impact. In his first 5 games, he went 7 for 19 and provided a spark and an element of energy that fit right into the excitement the entire 2022 Draft class provided for the Quakes. 

He is a switch-hitting outfielder who has a very compact and quick swing and a lot of power. As an example, he hit.331 his Senior year at Maryland, but, then, also hit 24 home runs in 263 at-bats as well. 

His home run rate per at bat in his Senior year at Maryland would have led the Dodgers organization, and his .331 average would have led the all of the Dodgers Minor Leagues, and would have been behind only Trea Turner and Freddie Freeman in the entire organization.

OPPO With Power

Another aspect of Alleyne’s offensive game is how well he can hit the ball the other way. Because his swing is so short and quick Alleyne is able to let the ball get deep, which gives him the ability to hit the ball where its pitched. Not only can he hit the ball where it’s pitched, but he can also do so with power, as you’ll see in the next video. 

Right Handed Swing

Alleyne is a switch hitter and here is a look at his right-handed swing. Notice that it is almost identical to his left-handed swing in the sense of how short, compact and quick it is. 

Defense

Alleyne played center field at Maryland, and while he played some center in Rancho, he played left field the most once he entered the organization. The Dodgers love to create versatility in its players, and with the combination of speed and power that Alleyne has, he could play in any of the 3 outfield positions.  Here’s a small sample of his defense. 

Finishing Up

Alleyne is a young man that plays with a lot of energy and understands commitment. Those qualities will suit him very well in professional baseball because it will continue to provide him with the perspective of what the daily grind is all about which is something that breaks a lot of young prospects. 

Not every step of his baseball career has always been an instant success, so he has shown that he knows how to put his nose to the grindstone and improve through work, day after day. 

Every professional baseball player has elite talent, so, most times, the difference between advancing and being out of the game comes down to a player’s ability to approach each day’s workload with the same amount of energy and their ability to handle failure. Many prospects, especially those that don’t go to College, have never failed at the game, at least not to a lasting extent. So, when that happens to them for the first time as a professional, how they handle that situation can make or break them. 

College baseball, especially at the level Alleyne played at Maryland, is a great level of baseball. Players that play at that level go through those processes as an amateur and, are, many times, more equipped to handle the daily grinds both mentally and physically. 

Alleyne squarely falls into this category. 

His career at Maryland is more than enough to show how great his process is, and, the fact that he became an All-American and that he was the Big 10 Player of the Year speaks to his talent. 

In closing, I would like to thank Bubba for joining Dodgers Daily. Watching the Quakes after the 2022 Draft class showed up was a ton of fun, so getting to talk to one of the guys who made that happen was a great pleasure. Bubba is a ton of fun to watch and Dodgers Daily can’t wait to keep watching him in 2023 and beyond as he works towards his dream of being a Major Leaguer. 

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