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Dodgers: Dave Roberts Praises Second Base Prospect Michael Busch

Don’t let the fact that he was among the Dodgers’ first round of spring training reassignments fool you. Infield prospect Michael Busch is the real deal. The 23-year-old was drafted by LA in the 1st round of the 2019 draft. While his first pro season didn’t go all that well (.125 batting average over 10 games), the club invited him to its alternate site last year after the minor league season was shut down due to the pandemic.

From there, he started making some noise on the prospect scene.



Teammates at the alternate site raved about his abilities at the plate. Last October, Busch played in the Arizona Instructional League and was seen as the “top hitter” there.

This spring, fans have been able to see his sweet, left-handed swing for themselves for the first time. Moreover, Dodger manager Dave Roberts has been able to get his first extended look at Busch too. And last week, Doc raved about what he saw.

I like him — I like the baseball player. I think that people talk about the bat but I like the overall baseball player. He’s got a good head, good makeup, comes from a great program [University of North Carolina], plays the game the right way, very high baseball acumen. So he checks every box.

In limited time this March, Busch has shown some pop at the plate, recording a double and a home run in 10 at-bats. This is his first time on the big league side at spring training and so far, he’s making the right impression.

Dodgers Nation’s resident prospects expert Tim Rogers talked about Busch earlier this spring on our sister site Dodgers2080.com and shared his excitement for the swing.

That is a beautiful swing and I want to see more of him. 

Related: Could We See Prospect Michael Busch in 2021?

So what comes next for the Dodgers’ number three prospect? Dave Roberts continued.

Now it’s just going out there and continuing to take professional at-bats, play second base and continue to get comfortable over there. But he’s coming.

We may see him one or two more times before the season starts in earnest next Thursday. Often times the Dodgers like to bring their highly touted prospects with them from Arizona back to LA for the annual freeway series against the Anaheim Angels. But it’s safe to assume that won’t be the last time fans see Michael Busch.

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Dodgers Breakout Prospects 2021! Josiah Gray, Zach McKinstry, DJ Peters, Pepiot, Busch, & More!

Clint Pasillas

Clint Pasillas has been writing, blogging, and podcasting about the Los Angeles Dodgers since 2008. Under Clint's leadership as the Lead Editor, Dodgers Nation has grown into one of the most read baseball sites in the world with millions of unique visitors per month. Find him online on Twitter/X or his YouTube channel!

10 Comments

  1. So, the question now becomes: 2B, 1B, or…?

    With Lux impressing and locked into 2B, why would they have Busch stick at 2B?

    Or, is it that former SS/now 2B Lux will simply slide over to SS next year and Busch becomes the 2B?

    Or, since Muncy’s contract is up after ’22, does Busch slide back to the position he’s played forever?

    Anyone really trust Friedman and/or Roberts?

    1. Yes we all trust Friedman and Doc. So should you!! Hope to see Busch continuing to improve and pressure Lux to stay dominant. Time for Dodgers to go back-to-back and win another WS!

    2. Yes, I had been thinking Lux is going to move to
      SS. I expect Seager to leave. I love him and he is just entering his prime.

      But with his injury history and Boras as his agent, I think he will be gone.

  2. Yes to Busch. No to Gray, Pepiot and Peters. Peters looks like a right hand version of Pederson only he strikes out even more. Pepiot and Gray have NOT IMPRESSED this spring. McKinstry is mediocre so far, so I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. Neusy (noisy) is worse than Keke, so our team has not improved when it comes to replacing Keke and Joc. CT3 is better than Keke, but I would trade one of our excess starters for a right handed outfielder. Pollack needs some real competition other than CT3, who needs to be ready to play various infield positions in order to occasionally rest our starters or replace Lux if he fails again. If we trade one of our excess starters, Miller is in the wings and looks really great.

    1. Pretty much what I might have posted earlier. It’s still ST but these last 2 games this close to the start of the season is concerning. Both the offense and pitching don’t look good at all at the present time.

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