Inside The Dodgers

Former Dodgers Prospect Earns Prestigious Award For Beating Up on Former Team

Maren Angus-Coombs

Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
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Chicago Cubs infielder Michael Busch earned National League Player of the Week honors following last week's impressive power-hitting performance against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Colorado Rockies.

Busch went 11-for-23 on the Cubs' recent six-game road trip, collecting four home runs, 11 runs batted in, and scoring seven runs in those games.

The infielder, a former Dodgers prospect, was traded to the Cubs along with Yency Almonte in exchange for Single-A prospects Zyhir Hope and Jackson Ferris.

Busch capped off the weekend with two home runs in a Sunday victory over the Rockies at Coors Field, helping the Cubs secure the series finale.

In his rookie season, Busch is slashing .257/.340/.454 with 20 home runs and 63 RBIs for the Cubs.

Being part of a blockbuster trade has been a blessing for Busch. As a prospect in the Los Angeles Dodgers' system, his journey was far more challenging because there wasn't a big league roster spot available for him.

His resumé as a first-round draft pick, a top-100 prospect, and a Pacific Coast League MVP during his rise to the majors would lead to a quick promotion to the big leagues in any other organization. With Freddie Freeman at first base and Shohei Ohtani as the designated hitter, he was blocked from big league innings in Los Angeles.

"They gave me an opportunity to play second base and I was excited about it," Busch said in April with a smile. "Then last year they gave me an opportunity to play third base and I never played third base in my life. I got excited about that as well."

The offseason move helped ease the Dodgers' 40-man roster crunch while providing the Cubs with a potential long-term solution at a position they've struggled to fill since trading Anthony Rizzo in 2021.

"He fit the profile of a need that we had," Cubs general manager Carter Hawkins said. "We knew that he was a player that was going to be available, and we knew he was really good — but the Dodgers knew he was really good and weren't going to give him away."

Detroit Tigers pitcher Keider Montero earned American League Player of the Week honors with a 2-0 record and a perfect 0.00 ERA over 14 innings, as the Tigers fight to stay in the American League Wild Card race.

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Maren Angus-Coombs
MAREN ANGUS-COOMBS

Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State and has been a sports writer since 2008. Despite growing up in the South, her sports obsession has always been in Los Angeles. She is currently a staff writer at the LA Sports Report Network.

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