Chicago Cubs First Baseman Michael Busch Named Top Rookie in 2024

Michael Busch of the Chicago Cubs had an excellent rookie season

Sep 17, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch (29) hits an RBI-single against the Oakland Athletics during the third inning at Wrigley Field. / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The Chicago Cubs might not have had the season that they were hoping for in 2024, as they missed the playoffs once again, but this is a team that is seemingly getting better. 

This season, the Cubs were defined by inconsistency, as some months they looked like a playoff team and other months they really struggled. With a few young players on the team, this was bound to happen, but the franchise did finish over .500.

This offseason, Chicago will be looking to improve in a couple of key areas, as their bullpen will certainly need to be addressed this winter. 

While adding some power to their lineup would be nice, one player who performed really well for the Cubs in 2024 was first baseman, Michael Busch. 

Busch was acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers, as the franchise simply didn’t have anywhere to play him. However, in his rookie season with Chicago, he had a really strong campaign. 

Recently, Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report named the Top 50 rookies of 2024, and the slugger came in ranked 13th. 

“Blocked by Freddie Freeman at first base and Max Muncy at third base, Busch was traded by the Dodgers during the offseason in exchange for pitching prospect Jackson Ferris in what looks like a potential win-win move. After crushing Triple-A pitching last year, Busch broke camp as the Cubs' starting first baseman, and he hit .248/.335/.440 for a 118 OPS+ with 28 doubles, 21 home runs and 65 RBI in 567 plate appearances.”

The numbers for Busch in his rookie season were very impressive, as it looked like a trade that is working out for the Cubs so far. As a rookie, the slugger totaled the fifth-best WAR out of the position players in Chicago, as he came in at 2.8 for the season. 

As the Cubs look to improve the team moving forward, Busch figures to be in their plans long-term, as he can play either first base or third base, and even has some experience at second base. 

Considering how strong the rookie class was this year, and how many talented rookies were in the National League alone, the slugger being ranked 13th is really impressive. 

Now, Chicago will have to look to capitalize on some of this young talent that they have and address areas of need. While adding some pop to the lineup might be desired, they would be wise to keep making sure Busch gets playing time moving forward.