The Road to The Show™: Dodgers’ Busch

Each week, MiLB.com profiles an elite prospect by chronicling the steps he's taken toward achieving his Major League dream. Here's a look at Dodgers second-ranked prospect Michael Busch. For more stories about players on The Road to The Show, click here.

A week before the Dodgers battled the D-backs in the National League Division Series, Michael Busch was in a different desert playing for a different Dodgers club.

Los Angeles' No. 2 prospect led Oklahoma City to the Triple-A National Championship in Las Vegas as Pacific Coast League champions.

He enjoyed an MVP season in the PCL and earned a nomination for Hitting Prospect of the Year at the inaugural MiLB Awards Show. Even with all he accomplished at the Minors' highest level in 2023, however, he wasn’t a candidate to help the big-league Dodgers in the postseason. MLB Pipeline's No. 44 overall prospect made his big league debut in April and was recalled three times over the course of the season, finishing with a .167 average and .539 OPS in 27 games.

The 25-year-old possesses a combination of bat-to-ball skills, power and plate discipline that should eventually help him stick in the Majors. He's also provided versatility throughout the infield, starting games at third, second and first.

"The Dodgers are so good. I'm just staying ready for whenever my name is called to go up there and help them, and I think that’s all I can do," Busch said on MLB Network in June. "Things sometimes don’t go the way that we want them to, but at the end of the day we’re here to help the Dodgers win and I’m gonna try to stay ready for whenever my name is called and get to step on that field again."

The Grove Heights native was Minnesota's top high school hitting prospect as a shortstop in 2016. He also played football and hockey, leading Simley Senior High School to a state final as a quarterback. After going undrafted, he went on to play college baseball at the University of North Carolina.

He played only sparingly during his freshman season, but 2018 was a breakout year for Busch, both as a Tar Heels sophomore and in the prestigious Cape Cod League.

During that college season, Busch batted .317 and led UNC in homers (13), RBIs (63), SLG (.521), OBP (.465) and walks (55) and was mentioned in the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List.

He boosted his Draft stock even further that summer with Chatham in the CCBL. Busch earned All-Cape League Team Honors with the Anglers after batting .322/.451/.567 with six homers, 17 RBIs, 19 walks and 17 punchouts in 27 games. Although he mostly played first base and left field at UNC, Busch saw the bulk of his playing time for Chatham at second, which is the position at which he’d eventually be drafted.

Upon his return to Chapel Hill, Busch maintained that consistency at the plate and solidified his status as a first-round talent. He batted .290 and hit 16 homers with 57 RBIs for the Tar Heels.

After taking Tulane infielder Kody Hoese with their first pick at No. 25 overall, the Dodgers selected Busch just six picks later. Busch slid to No. 31 due to concerns about his defense. He eventually signed for a full slot value of $2,312,000 and reported to the Rookie-level Arizona League.

He played five games in the AZL before advancing to Class A Great Lakes. But he suffered an injury to his right hand after getting hit by multiple pitches, cutting his pro debut short after 10 games.

First big league homer for @Dodgers No. 2 prospect (MLB No. 47) Michael Busch! pic.twitter.com/s0oXxZNZz2

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 24, 2023

Following the pandemic, Busch spent all of 2021 with Double-A Tulsa, where he finished with a .267/.386/.484 slash line, 20 homers, 67 RBIs, 84 runs and 70 walks. He was also invited to participate in the All-Star Futures Game, where he singled in his lone at-bat at Denver’s Coors Field.

Even after setting a personal best for homers in 2021, Busch made a point to try and tap into his power more during the following season by being more aggressive in early counts and increasing his fly ball rate.

His plan certainly seemed to work. He hit 32 long balls while batting .274 with an .881 OPS between Double-A and Triple-A. Busch led the Minors in runs (118) while finishing third in extra-base hits (70) and fifth in RBIs (108).

This season, Busch ranked second among all qualified Minor Leaguers in OPS (1.049) and slugging percentage (.618), tied for eighth in on-base percentage (.431) and tied for 12th with a .323 average. He also recorded his third consecutive 20-homer campaign, leading the system with 27 long balls.

Even as Gavin Lux is set to return from his knee injury, there should be opportunities for Busch to secure a spot on the big league roster this spring. It'll be hard to find a better Minor League track record.