BA and BP on Busch. Similar writeups Archived Message
Posted by CanHartlebHireSnider on January 11, 2024, 13:04:00, in reply to "Cubs acquiring Yency Almonte and Michael Busch from the Dodgers"
BP It’s surprising that Michael Busch is still eligible for this list. One of the lowest-risk profiles around, he’s destroyed the upper minors for the last two full seasons thanks to his patient approach, plus pop, and ability to pull the ball in the air—hard. Busch earned a cup of coffee with the big-league club last season, but struggled in his brief debut and was sent back down. He’s a bit stiff and pull-happy with his barrel placement, although not egregiously so. He’ll take an offering the other way if the pitcher really insists on it. Regardless, Busch is a solid bet to post above-average production at the plate because he understands what he does well and sticks to the plan. Never a slashy pest, Busch instead crowds the plate and leverages his excellent zone recognition to dare the pitcher into a mistake pitch. He’s got that grooved swing that lots of the more progressive organizations have produced in droves—you’d have to squint to differentiate during a side-by-side of he and James Outman, for example. I’m often impressed with Busch’s swing decisions overall, although SEAGER has him closer to average than my own looks. Perhaps overly patient, Busch’s next step may be to attack in-zone more liberally. Defensively, Busch is versatile because he has no true home. The Dodgers started moving him to the outfield lately, giving the slugger an unwieldy number of potential landing spots: 3B/2B/1B/OF, but he’s not a Swiss army knife. You’re getting fringe average defense at best to squeeze Busch’s bat into a lineup, although I wouldn’t call him a butcher anywhere. Busch maintains fringe-average foot speed and a similarly fringe-y shot put arm, but he has a solid internal clock and can make routine plays. Whatever your opinion of Max Muncy’s work on the dirt, you can expect similarly from Busch. OFP: 55 / Middle of the order offensive production and an ability to stand in four spots. Variance: Low. Neither Busch’s dominance over the PCL, nor 80 plate appearances of struggle in his MLB debut move the floor or ceiling of this profile. He should stick above 100 DRC+ and launch 25 home runs annually. BA One of eight children in his family, Busch starred as one of the best athletes in recent Minnesota prep history at Simley High. He led the Spartans football team to the state final as the quarterback, captained the hockey team and was a two-time all-state baseball player. He chose baseball as his path and started all three years at North Carolina, where he hit 32 career home runs and finished second in school history with 143 career walks. The Dodgers drafted him 31st overall in 2019 and signed him for $2.312 million. Injuries to his right hand hindered Busch his first two seasons, but he broke out with full health in 2022 and led the minor leagues in runs scored. He followed up with an even better season in 2023 at Triple-A Oklahoma City. Busch hit .323/.431/.618, all career highs, and finished second in the minors with a 1.049 OPS. He received three different callups to the majors with the Dodgers, won the Pacific Coast League MVP award and was named the Dodgers’ minor league player of the year. Scouting Report: Busch is a polished, well-rounded offensive performer. He has a calm, controlled presence in the batter’s box and maintains elite strike-zone discipline. He recognizes pitches early and barrels both high-end velocity and quality secondary stuff with a balanced, powerful lefthanded stroke. He drives balls hard in the air from foul pole to foul pole and is a true all-fields hitter who can take what the pitcher gives him. He can be overly passive at times, but he has improved his approach to jump on hittable pitches and get the most from his natural strength, hand-eye coordination and plate discipline. He projects to be an at least above-average hitter who draws lots of walks and gets to his plus power in games. The Dodgers drafted Busch as a first baseman and attempted to turn him into a second baseman, but his lack of range makes him a liability without the help of a shift. He’s a below-average runner who lacks quickness and agility and is a below-average defender at the keystone. He began playing third base in 2023 and started most of his games there in Triple-A and the majors. He shows a good feel for body positioning and reading angles at the hot corner but is still a below-average defender learning the nuances of the position. Busch has also seen time in left field, but his best position remains first base. He has below-average arm strength. The Future: Busch projects to be a middle-of-the-order force who gets on base and hits for power, but he is blocked at first base by Freddie Freeman and has to find a position to break into the Dodgers’ lineup. The Dodgers received multiple offers for Busch at the trade deadline but held onto him because of his offensive potential. He will try to improve his defense at third base enough to be the eventual successor to Max Muncy.
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- Cubs acquiring Yency Almonte and Michael Busch from Dodgers - DanSaint January 11, 2024, 12:16:50
- Cubs acquiring Yency Almonte and Michael Busch from the Dodgers - CanHartlebHireSnider January 11, 2024, 12:16:16
- BA and BP on Busch. Similar writeups - CanHartlebHireSnider January 11, 2024, 13:04:00
- with the trade the Dodgers now have Ferris and Buehler* - Gene Parmesan January 11, 2024, 12:53:11
- Well this is certainly unexpected - OB25 January 11, 2024, 12:51:11
- Twitter says is Hope and Ferris going to LA.* - Toonces January 11, 2024, 12:33:03
- Busch was also the PCL MVP last year. BA has #1 Dodgers prospect on their 2024 list - CanHartlebHireSnider January 11, 2024, 12:29:46
- Rosenthal guesses for 2 young prospects* - UofIL6 January 11, 2024, 12:19:51
- 4/$53. Cubs have option to extend to 5/$80 after year 2. If they decline Shota can opt out - CanHartlebHireSnider January 10, 2024, 18:46:46
- per Heyman: deal looks very complicated - DanSaint January 10, 2024, 5:32:34
- #JedsLeague - bigbop85 January 9, 2024, 22:12:17
- side: LA DA won't file felony charges on Julio Urias for spousal battery - DanSaint January 9, 2024, 20:42:10
- $15 million a year per Morosi. Guessing something like 5/$75 plus posting fee? - CanHartlebHireSnider January 9, 2024, 19:11:16
- $15M AAV* - OB25 January 9, 2024, 19:10:03
- More Sarris. - CanHartlebHireSnider January 9, 2024, 18:29:50
- have to wonder if this is the start of the Cubs making moves. - DanSaint January 9, 2024, 18:06:41
- Excellent* - GMAW January 9, 2024, 18:05:34
- What kind of pitcher are we looking at here?* - Toonces January 9, 2024, 18:03:53
- Good* - CanHartlebHireSnider January 9, 2024, 18:03:01
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