Player Review: Michael Busch

By: Ethan Diamond

When the Cubs acquired Michael Busch from the Dodgers back in January, Jed Hoyer immediately announced that Busch would be the Cubs starting first baseman in 2024. Since losing Anthony Rizzo in 2021, the Cubs had struggled to find consistency at first. Frank Schwindel’s run will always be fun, but he and Alfonso Rivas were not long-term answers. Eric Hosmer and Trey Mancini were stopgap signings, and Matt Mervis wasn’t really living up to the hype he had generated in the minors. Busch, when acquired, was a top 100 prospect (though he graduated from that status as soon as he played on Opening Day). The Cubs were hoping that Busch could be the guy at first long-term. So, let’s evaluate how his rookie season went.

Side Note: Happy Birthday to Busch as today is coincidentally his birthday

Busch’s first season as a Cub was, in the best terms, pretty average. He batted .248/.335/.440 in 496 at-bats across 152 games, slugging 21 homers and batting in 65 runs. With a lot of injuries this year, it was nice to see him stay consistent and reliable with his health throughout the year. Though his health was consistent, his bat was not always as he would go on really hot stretches and then follow it up with a long cold stretch. For example, he hit five home runs in five consecutive games between April 10th and April 15th, but then he didn’t hit another ball over the fence until his walkoff home run against the Padres on May 7th. He also hit another cold stretch after a 2 hit game on August 7th against the Twins, a game where he homered in and didn’t home again until September 9th. But, that game on September 9th did start a great stretch that won him NL Player of the Week. He was good, but it could’ve been better.

Despite his bat being somewhat inconsistent throughout the year, his defense kept getting better as the year went on. Given that this was his first time being a full-time first baseman, it took him a little bit to get settled into the role, but once he did, he was very effective. Due to some injuries in May, he also made a few starts at his natural position of second base, showcasing his positional versatility that can be used if needed. If he continues to get better defensively, I could see Busch contending for the Gold Glove next season.

Grade: B

Given that the capital we gave up for Busch (and Yency Almonte) was substantial, I would’ve liked to have seen just a little more from Michael this year, but all is not lost. Jackson Ferris and Zyhir Hope are both climbing up prospect rankings, so the hope is that Busch can show why the Cubs gave those two up in order to get him. Rookie seasons aren’t always the most consistent, so I think we could be in for a better Michael Busch in 2025. That is, if the Cubs don’t decide to upgrade this offseason for a big bat like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. or Pete Alonso.

For his pretty solid rookie season, I’m giving Busch a B grade.

Image Credit: Forbes