Michael Busch

27-Year-Old First Baseman1B

Chicago Cubs

2024 Stats

AVG

.248

RBI

2025 Projections

AVG

RBI

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2025 Fantasy Outlook

Busch joined the Cubs prior to the 2024 season after never really getting a shot at regular playing time with the Dodgers, and he quickly took advantage of the opportunity in the new locale. The 26-year-old settled in as the primary first baseman for Chicago and appeared in 152 games. Busch ended up recording 21 home runs, 65 RBI and a .775 OPS during his extended run, and he figures to head into 2025 as the team's top option at first once again. There are some limitations to his game from a fantasy perspective, as he doesn't really have a ton of positional versatility. The left-hand hitting Busch has also shown some vulnerability to southpaws during his career, so the Cubs not surprisingly limited his exposure to lefties last year. That caps Busch's upside heading into 2025, but as long as he plays most days against righties, Busch should be able to build on his promising 2024 campaign. Read Past Outlooks

RANKS

From Preseason

Overall Rank

Dynasty

League Majors

Bats L

Throws R

40 Man Yes

Height 6'1"

Weight 210

DOB 11/9/1997

Born Maplewood, MN

College North Carolina

Drafted 1st Rd 2019 LAD

Not an option at third base

1BChicago Cubs

December 17, 2024

Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer indicated Tuesday that Busch is not under consideration to play third base and will instead remain focused on first base, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

ANALYSIS
The Cubs have an opening at the hot corner following the trade of Isaac Paredes and Busch has some experience at third base. However, the team views Busch as a potential Gold Glove-caliber first baseman and wants him to remain there. Top prospect Matt Shaw looks to be the current favorite to start at third base.

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Batting Stats

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2024

2023

2024 MLB Game Log

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Scoring

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2023 MLB Game Log

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Minor League Game Log

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Batting Order Slot Breakdown

vs Right-Handed Pitchers

vs RHP

vs Left-Handed Pitchers

vs LHP

Left/Right Batting Splits

Since 2022

+12%

OPS vs RHP

2024

+11%

OPS vs RHP

2023

+19%

OPS vs RHP

2022

No Stats

	OPS	PA	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG
Since 2022vs Left	.678	115	16	1	8	0	.250	.313	.365
Since 2022vs Right	.760	533	66	22	64	3	.235	.326	.433
2024vs Left	.712	100	16	1	8	0	.258	.330	.382
2024vs Right	.788	467	57	20	57	2	.246	.336	.452
2023vs Left	.467	15	0	0	0	0	.200	.200	.267
2023vs Right	.556	66	9	2	7	1	.158	.258	.298
2022vs Left	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2022vs Right	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
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Home/Away Batting Splits

Since 2022

+15%

OPS on Road

2024

+25%

OPS on Road

2023

+112%

OPS at Home

2022

No Stats

	OPS	PA	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG
Since 2022Home	.691	303	32	9	27	2	.214	.304	.387
Since 2022Away	.792	345	50	14	45	1	.258	.342	.450
2024Home	.683	264	28	8	25	1	.211	.299	.384
2024Away	.855	303	45	13	40	1	.280	.366	.489
2023Home	.745	39	4	1	2	1	.235	.333	.412
2023Away	.351	42	5	1	5	0	.105	.167	.184
2022Home	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2022Away	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
More Splits→	View More Split Stats

Stat Review

How does Michael Busch compare to other hitters?

This section compares his stats with all batting seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 400 plate appearances)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity and Barrels/PA % are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 400 PA) and Hard Hit Rate is benchmarked against last season's data (min 400 PA). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.

BB/K
Walk to strikeout ratio
BB Rate
The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a walk.
K Rate
The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a strikeout.
BABIP
Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many of a batter’s balls in play go for hits.
ISO
Isolated Power. Slugging percentage minus batting average. A computation used to measure a batter's raw power.
AVG
Batting average. Hits divided by at bats.
OBP
On Base Percentage. A measure of how often a batters reaches base. Roughly equal to number of times on base divided by plate appearances.
SLG
Slugging Percentage. A measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats.
OPS
On base plus slugging. THe sum of a batter's on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
wOBA
Weighted on-base average. Measures a player's overall offensive contributions per plate appearance. wOBA combines all the different aspects of hitting into one metric, weighting each of them in proportion to their actual run value.
Exit Velocity
The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
Hard Hit Rate
A measure of contact quality from Sports Info Solutions. This stat explains what percentage of batted balls were hit hard vs. medium or soft.
Barrels/PA
The percentage of plate appearances where a batter had a batted ball classified as a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
Expected BA
Expected Batting Average.
Expected SLG
Expected Slugging Percentage.
Sprint Speed
The speed of a runner from home to first, in feet per second.
Ground Ball %
The percentage of balls put in play that are on the ground.
Line Drive %
The percentage of balls put in play that are line drives.
Fly Ball %
The percentage of balls put in play that are fly balls.

BB/K

0.39

BB Rate

11.1%

K Rate

28.6%

BABIP

.322

ISO

.192

AVG

.248

OBP

.335

SLG

.440

OPS

.775

wOBA

.340

Exit Velocity

89.9 mph

Hard Hit Rate

30.8%

Barrels/PA

6.7%

Expected BA

.217

Expected SLG

.418

Sprint Speed

23.8 ft/sec

Ground Ball %

39.2%

Line Drive %

20.5%

Fly Ball %

40.4%

Prospect Rankings History

View Complete Michael Busch Prospect Ranking History

Advanced Batting Stats

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Additional Stats

Games By Position

Defensive Stats

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Batted Ball Stats

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Stats Vs Upcoming Pitchers

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Cubs Depth Chart

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Past Fantasy Outlooks

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

Busch fits best defensively at designated hitter, but it's still to be determined whether his bat will produce enough value in the majors to be worth playing at the bottom of the defensive spectrum. With the addition of automated balls and strikes, the Pacific Coast League was even more of a hitter's paradise than in the past, and Busch took full advantage, slashing .323/.431/.618 with 27 home runs, an 18.8 K% and a 13.9 BB% in 98 games. In addition to the cartoonish hitting environment he played in, Busch was 25 years old, so there would be no excuse for him not to mash Triple-A pitching. Even in that juiced environment, Busch only managed a .795 OPS with two home runs in 167 plate appearances against lefties, so he may be platooned if he doesn't become passable somewhere defensively. He only got 81 plate appearances in the majors, struggling to an unlucky .167 average with 27 strikeouts, eight walks and two home runs. He is eligible at third base in 2024 but may not have anywhere to play for the Dodgers in the short term. There are some Quad-A hitter red flags, and Busch may need a trade to get a chance to show he belongs.

Busch emphasized his status as one of the Dodgers' most highly touted young bats by leading the organization's minor-leaguers in hits (151), doubles (38), RBI (108) and runs (118) last season while tying for lead with 32 homers. Sure, he played most of his games in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League and struck out in 26.5% of his plate appearances, but he showed improvement in that area with a 17.6% rate over his final 25 games and has consistently demonstrated patience at the plate, registering an 11.4% walk rate last season. Busch isn't going to steal many bases and is just an average defender, but his potential with the bat was enough for the Dodgers to add him to their 40-man roster in November. He should make his big-league debut sometime in 2023.

Busch gives off Max Muncy vibes, which is fitting as he is coming up in the same organization and plays the same positions as Muncy did when he was coming up. Better in OBP leagues than AVG leagues, Busch hit 20 home runs with a 14.1 BB% and a 26.1 K% in 107 games as a 23-year-old at Double-A. He primarily played second base but also saw time at first base and designated hitter. The DH coming to the National League increases Busch's chances of eventually getting regular playing time, but this is still a very crowded organizational depth chart. He probably won't be on a fast track to the majors, especially since he is not yet on the 40-man roster.

Busch was reportedly the best hitter in the 2020 fall instructional league in Arizona, which is saying a lot, even though he was one of the older true prospects taking part in instructs. The No. 31 overall pick in 2019, Busch has been limited to 10 total pro games to this point -- 15 if we count a five-game run in the Arizona Fall League in 2019. The Dodgers drafted him for his bat, as he hit an eye-popping .322/.450/.567 with a wood bat in the Cape Cod League in 2018. He is still a bat-first player all the way, with the potential for a plus hit tool and plus power but no clear defensive home. The left-handed hitter is being groomed for a multi-position role, potentially getting work at second base, first base, left field and designated hitter. Fall instructs rarely result in a prospect shooting up rankings, but that has been the case with Busch, as the dynasty community is starved for prospect intel.

A hairline fracture in his right hand limited Busch to just 17 professional games after the Dodgers selected him with the 31st overall pick. He split time between the AZL, Midwest League and the Arizona Fall League, hitting .195/.452/.268 with one home run and a 9:17 K:BB in 41 at-bats (as many walks as games). It's a tiny sample, but Busch was better the higher he climbed, logging a .327 OPS in rookie ball, a .767 OPS at Low-A and a 1.007 OPS in the AFL. A versatile defender, Busch was primarily a first baseman at North Carolina, but also saw time in the outfield and worked primarily as a second baseman after getting drafted. He obviously has a patient approach and a good understanding of the strike zone, and the hope is that he can become a plus hitter with at least above-average power. He is pretty advanced, and could split time between High-A and Double-A in his first full season.

More Fantasy News

Walks four times

1BChicago Cubs

September 29, 2024

Busch went 0-for-1 with four walks during Sunday's 3-0 loss to the Reds in 10 innings.

ANALYSIS
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Back in action Friday

1BChicago Cubs

September 27, 2024

Busch (triceps) will start at designated hitter and bat fifth in Friday's contest against the Reds.

ANALYSIS
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Remaining out Wednesday

1BChicago Cubs

Triceps

September 25, 2024

Busch (triceps) isn't in the Cubs' lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Phillies.

ANALYSIS
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Exits after HBP

1BChicago Cubs

Triceps

September 24, 2024

Busch was removed from Tuesday's game against the Phillies after getting hit in the arm by a pitch, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

ANALYSIS
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Ends slump with homer

1BChicago Cubs

September 22, 2024

Busch went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a double in Sundays' 5-0 win over the Nationals.

ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors

Could have regular role

1BLos Angeles Dodgers

August 23, 2023

Manager Dave Roberts said the Dodgers will attempt to get Busch regular at-bats after the infielder was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday, reports Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register.

ANALYSIS
The 25-year-old had a .561 OPS in his first 15 big-league games before being sent back to Oklahoma City in late June, but he's back with the Dodgers after J.D. Martinez landed on the injured list with a groin issue. Busch has 24 home runs and a 1.047 OPS in 88 games at Triple-A this season, and he also had a 39-game on-base streak during his most recent stint with the affiliate. Busch went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts Tuesday against the Guardians, and he may need to settle in quick at the plate to have a chance of retaining his roster spot once Martinez is healthy.

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