Michael Busch was born in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota on November 9th, 1997. He is 26 years old bats left-handed and throws right-handed. He played his high school baseball at Smiley High School in Inver Grove Heights, MN. He was ranked the top first baseman in Minnesota and the fourth overall player in the state. Busch was ranked the 179th overall first baseman in the country in 2016 and he was in the top 500 player overalls. He committed to play college baseball at the University of North Carolina.
Where Did Michael Busch Go To College?
At North Carolina in his first season, he played in 55 games and slashed .215/.349/.341 with a .690 OPS; he had eight doubles, three home runs, 22 RBI, 21 runs scored, two stolen bases, and 27 walks. In the summer he played in the Northwoods League for St. Cloud and in 49 games he slashed .291/.426/.500 with a .926 OPS; he had 17 doubles, one triple, four home runs, 28 RBI, 31 runs scored, two stolen bases, and 37 walks. In his second season, he played in 64 games and slashed .317/.465/.521 with a .985 OPS; he had ten doubles, 13 home runs, 63 RBI, 70 runs scored, eight stolen bases, and 55 walks. That summer he played in the Cape Cod Baseball League for Chatham and in 27 games he slashed .322/.451/.567 with a 1.017 OPS; he had four doubles, six home runs, 17 RBI, 19 runs scored, three stolen bases, and 19 walks. In his final season for the Tar Heels he played in 65 games and slashed .284/.436/.547 with a .983 OPS; he had 14 doubles, one triple, 16 home runs, 57 RBI, 78 runs scored, four stolen bases, and 61 walks.
When Was Michael Busch Drafted?
Michael Busch was the 26th prospect entering the 2019 draft and was the 16th college prospect. Busch was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers with the 31st overall pick.
Michael Busch Professional Tenure
2019
In his first season with the Dodgers, he played for their rookie league team as well as Single-A Great Lakes. He played in ten games and slashed .125/.371/.125 with a .496 OPS; he had two RBI, five runs scored, and seven walks. That fall he played in the Arizona Fall League for Glendale and in five games he went 3-13 with a home run, an RBI, six runs scored, a stolen base, and a walk.
2020
The minor league season was canceled due to COVID-19.
2021
Busch started the season ranked as the 87th overall prospect by Baseball America. He played for Double-A Tulsa and in 107 games he slashed .267/.386/.484 with a .870 OPS; he had 27 doubles, one triple, 20 home runs, 67 RBI, 84 runs scored, two stolen bases, and 70 walks. He also played in the Futures Game going 1-1.
2022
Busch started the season ranked as the 76th overall prospect by Baseball America and the 67th prospect by MLB.com. He played at Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City and in 142 games he slashed .274/.365/.516 with a .881 OPS; he had 38 doubles, 32 home runs, 108 RBI, 118 runs scored, four stolen bases, and 74 walks.
2023
Busch started the season ranked as the 54th overall prospect by Baseball America and by MLB.com. He played for Triple-A Oklahoma City for 98 games and he slashed .323/.431/.618 with a 1.049 OPS; he had 26 doubles, four triples, 27 home runs, 90 RBI, 85 runs scored, four stolen bases, and 65 walks. He also made his big league debut with the Dodgers playing in 27 games and he slashed .167/.247/.292 with a .539 OPS; he had three doubles, two home runs, seven RBI, nine runs scored, one stolen base, and eight walks.
Future
Busch was traded to the Cubs this past offseason and is ranked the 59th overall prospect by ITD and is the Cubs fourth-ranked prospect. Busch will likely start the 2024 season with the Cubs.
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