Looking Ahead and Looking Back

Just for kicks, let’s look ahead to the 2026 MLB All-Star game. Here is a note from the color commentator.

“Here in the second inning with two outs, the AL second base all-star is making his first all-star plate appearance. Tampa Bay Ray’s second sacker was selected as the best at his position in this, his third MLB season. Former North Carolina Tar Heel Michael Busch may not be a Joe Morgan with Morgan’s lightening in his glove, but he doesn’t have to be. The thunder in his bat is what got him here and he may just be another Jeff Kent. Kent was a 20th round selection by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1989 and made his MLB debut in 1992. In August of his inaugural season  he was traded to the Mets in the David Cone deal. He had been backed up behind 12-time all-star Robbie Alomar who came to the Jays from the San Diego Padres in 1991 along with Joe Carter. Michael Busch was selected in the 2019 June Draft as a compensation pick for the Dodgers failing to sign first round pick JT Ginn in the 2018 MLB Draft. He too was backed up at the keystone position behind NL all-star second baseman Gavin Lux, Zach McKinstry, Omar Estevez and Devin Mann. He came over to the Rays in the  Blake Snell trade.”

OK, a guy can dream and that might be my best Orel Hershiser impersonation.

Now back to the future as there was no present for the minor leagues this year. The information from the instructional league was sketchy at best.

During the past few weeks on a number of sites, including LADT, Michael Busch has been a frequent flyer to the prospective trade list. I expect I can understand it a bit as he, opposed to Jeff Kent, has a left-handed bat. He has basically lost two seasons, his first to injury and his second to the pandemic. He might be an iffy second base prospect defensively and perhaps more suited to first base. At this point there are the aforementioned second base options for the Dodgers who are ahead of Busch. He is now 23 as are Gavin Lux and Devin Mann. Omar Estevez is 22 and Zach McKinstry 25.

I tend to overly value prospects and make no apologies for it. They are the future of MLB baseball and I can truly relate to what they are going through. In my chosen profession I was a Zach McKinstry. I cannot relate to MLB players who make millions of dollars and always seem to need more.

So, back to Michael Busch. I expect most LATD readers are familiar with his baseball path but for me this is a refresher so I might just as well share it.

Busch was born in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, and attended Simley High School in his home town. He was a three sport athlete in high school starring in football, playing hockey and baseball.  Like Zach McKinstry he came from the colder part of the United States where the baseball season gets squeezed unlike venues in the South and West Coast where baseball can be played year round. 

He was not sure what his future held in terms of his athletic abilities, but he perhaps found out with one at-bat in a high school game. Although he made the varsity squad while in grade eight – a rare feat indeed –  he made his decision while a sophomore. One of seven children, his older brother Logan spotted the moment when it possibly happened. Busch crushed a pitch, doubling off the wall in the right-center gap – against a future Division I pitcher.

As a high school junior we also get a glimpse of Michael Busch, the young man. When asked what is the best sports advice he ever received he responded:

“There may be people who have more talent than you, but there is no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do.”

Getting back to the short baseball season in Minnesota, Busch tried out for the Minnesota Blizzard when he was 16-years old. He was a standout at tryouts his first year and recalls what it was like on his first day with the program.

“I believe the first time I had heard about the Blizzard was when I was about 13 years old,” Busch said.  “Someone had told my dad about it and we started to look more into it.  I remember my first year of tryouts being very nervous and excited at the same time.  Nervous because I was competing against the best competition not only in the state but the nation.”

Busch played three years in the elite Blizzard program. A brief note about the program. Since 2012, the Blizzard Elite Baseball program has played a full summer program playing in some of the top tournaments and against the best competition in the country.  The primary purpose is to assemble the most competitive roster possible to play in great and well-run tournaments. The Minnesota Blizzard has an experienced staff full of veteran coaches who have been in the program for several years to help develop, compete, practice and help players learn the valuable lessons that the Blizzard Big 5 run their program by.

“Busch was different,” Angelo State assistant and former Blizzard director Johnny Anderson said.  “At tryouts, the way he moved in the infield was superior to the rest.  He was quick and agile, made all the plays – and he could hit!  That was what really separated him from the pack.  His bat speed and his ability to hit could have put him on a varsity team.  I remember thinking – this kid is going to play pro ball someday.”

“Busch is one of those guys where you can catch yourself watching instead of teaching,” Blizzard owner Adam Barta said.  “He’s just so smooth in everything he does.  You almost forget he is 17.”

“He’s very receptive to instruction and is diligent about how he goes about his business,” Barta continued.  “He is dialed in at practice which you don’t see all the time with younger players.  It takes patience to really learn how to practice.  He’s got it.  He’s a gifted athlete who is getting better all the time.”

Following high school Michael Busch headed off to North Carolina  after being heavily recruited by the Tar Heals.  His freshman season was not one to write home about unless you might be deciding to pack it in. In 135 at bats he almost hit below his current weight of 207 pounds recording a .215 batting average. When things go badly there are two ways to go. One is to accept defeat, continue to wail away, give up or meet the challenge head on confident in your abilities and with confidence in those who are coaching you. Busch took the latter route.

Following his first kick at the can in North Carolina, he headed off to the Northwoods Summer League. With the St. Cloud Rox during the 2017 Northwoods League championship season he played  in 49 games hitting .291 with 23 extra base hits, including a team high 17 doubles and driving in 28 runs. Baseball America listed him as the 7th best prospect  in the Northwoods League. Of note, catcher Hunter Fedducia was listed at number 4.

During the 2018 college season he posted a triple slash of .317/.465/.521 and an OPS of .986 along with 13 home runs and 64 runs batted in over 63 games.  Something had happened. For one thing, Busch stopped trying to hit home runs. For another, he matured as a hitter with his hard work paying off.

“Some people think it’s all about swing mechanics,” Busch said. “But people don’t really notice it’s just the pitch you’re swinging at. The percentage that you’re going to hit that pitch is very, very low until you wait. Even in the ACC, a pitcher’s going to make a mistake maybe once an at-bat.”

https://www.mlb.com/news/dodgers-sign-draft-pick-michael-busch

Billy Gasparino’s take shortly after selecting Busch whom he likens to Max Muncy.

“Michael is a guy who we thought was one of the better bats in the Cape Cod League, both in terms of performance and swing, as well as overall defensive versatility. He’s been a staple in the UNC program. They rave about his makeup and his character, and we’re excited to add him to our organization. We’re going to challenge Michael and start at second base.”

His 2019 season in professional ball did not go as planned but was pretty much wiped by a hit by pitch hand injury restricting him to only 31 plate appearances in which he had three hits and seven walks.  What else do we know about Michael Busch?

MLB Pipeline had this to say about the Minnesota native:

“Busch masterfully controls the strike zone, waiting for pitches he can attack and taking walks when pitchers refuse to challenge him. His sweet left-handed swing features plenty of bat speed and his balanced approach allows him to drive the ball to all fields. He should hit for average and power while drawing more than his share of walks, giving him one of the highest offensive ceilings and floors among 2019 draftees.”

The 2020 minor league  season was canceled due to Covid-19. However, the Arizona Instructional League did what it could to help young minor league players get in all the work they could. Statistics were not kept but there were some anecdotal records. This one was widely circulated about  Busch.

“Busch earned universal reviews as the top hitter in Arizona. He took high-quality at-bats, turned around upper-90s velocity and showed home run power to center field and both gaps. His balance, bat speed, hand-eye coordination and strike-zone discipline all drew high praise. Evaluators were split on Busch’s defense at second base, but he earned consistent grades as a plus hitter with plus power.”

Oh yes, as someone pointed out a couple of days ago, Prospects Live listed the Dodgers minor league prospects in order of their preference. Michael Busch is listed as their choice for top hitter and second overall prospect behind right-hander Bobby Miller.

The last word goes to Michael

“I really pride myself on having really good at-bats,” Busch said. “Not being that all or nothing hitter, but just being an all-around solid hitter. I don’t focus on getting extra-base hits. Just every at-bat trying to get a hit one at a time and getting on base. I think that approach has helped me improve my game and take it to the next level.”