Can Cubs’ Michael Busch continue ascent, announce himself as one of the best first basemen?
MESA, Ariz. — Michael Busch is an unassuming figure. Compared with previous players who have held down first base at Wrigley Field, it wouldn’t be hard for him to go overlooked.
He’s not the boisterous personality of previous Chicago Cubs legends such as Mark Grace and Anthony Rizzo. Even the quiet but highly respected Derrek Lee was an imposing figure physically. And though his early Cubs career has been strong, Busch has yet to have the prolonged success of any of them.
Beyond his status in Cubs history, a discussion that can wait for quite a while, where Busch ranks among his first baseman peers has piqued some interest. Some would argue he’s already approaching the top of his class, but online chatter this offseason questioned whether Busch is a top-10 player at his position right now.
“I just want to be the best possible player I can be,” Busch said. “There are a lot of really good first basemen out there. Am I OK with where I’m at? I guess you could say I am, but I also want to get better. I want to continue to grow no matter what accolades or opinions people have with where I sit with other first basemen.”
By wRC+, Busch was ninth among first basemen in 2024 (118) and second in 2025 (140). According to fWAR, Busch was again a top-10 first baseman in 2024 and top five last season.
Even if the data supports Busch, it shouldn’t be surprising to hear he isn’t concerning himself with these debates. It’s even less of a surprise his manager has bigger fish to fry.
“I think Michael’s going to go out and try to get a good pitch today, try to win the next pitch,” manager Craig Counsell said. “He wants to have a great season. That question? I don’t know how to answer it. That’s one of those questions I don’t want to look at. That means you’re worried about other people. You just look up at the end of the year and somebody else with tell you that.”
Ultimately, these debates don’t matter. Busch and Counsell want wins, not to get ranked highly on arbitrary lists. But one way Busch can quiet the doubters is by playing and performing against left-handed pitchers. Busch played in 155 games last season but had only 592 plate appearances. For comparison, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. played in one more game and had 88 more plate appearances.
Busch posted a 151 wRC+ against righties last season and a respectable, but significantly lower, 81 wRC+ when facing southpaws (95 plate appearances). Counsell has already made it clear this performance last season earned him everyday playing time, regardless of the opposing starter.
“Selfishly, it was a very cool moment for me,” Busch said. “I walked into this clubhouse in 2024 understanding the opportunity and my role as a player. I accepted that the days I wasn’t playing to be ready to come off the bench and do what I could to win. But also, there was a little part of me that wanted to play. I think I did a decent job at being patient, but I always wanted the opportunity. You gotta run with it if you want to keep it.”
Still, until he proves otherwise, Busch will face questions about whether he can handle the new challenge that awaits him. But that’s nothing new for Busch. Entering last year, there were different questions. Primarily, how can he as a left-handed hitter overcome the challenge that is Wrigley Field?
In 2024, Busch’s OPS was 172 points higher on the road (.855) compared with at home (.683). But in 2025, he both improved on the road (.874) and proved he can handle the finicky conditions at Wrigley, posting an .856 OPS at his home ballpark, highest on the team.
Because the wind generally blows in from the lake, left-handed hitters are affected more by Chicago weather than righties. There’s the obvious physical impact that has on the ball, but it can affect the players mentally as well. To combat that, Busch says the focus has to be on winning and doing whatever they can as a team to scratch across a few runs.
“I’m not the only one,” Busch said. “Nobody is the only one having to play in that. So you try to put your selfish desires or individual success on the back end and do whatever you can on that day to scrape away two or three runs. They are hard to find when the wind blows in.”
New challenges seem to pop up for Busch regularly. When he arrived at the Cubs, it was how quickly he could acclimate to first base. He handled that with aplomb. Then came battling Wrigley Field. Last fall, he faced his first playoff exposure. He responded by slugging four home runs and posting a 1.128 OPS in eight games. Soon enough, it will be regularly facing lefties. Though he’s not looking for accolades or meaningless recognition of where he sits among his peers, the results Busch has put up speak for themselves.
In each MLB season he’s played, Busch has improved. That goal doesn’t stop. For him, 2026 is just another opportunity to solidify himself at the highest level.
“I’m just trying to grow and get better because I want to play this game for as long as I can,” Busch said. “Just work, grind in my own little bubble and not focusing on the outside noise is very important to me. No matter where I sit, toward the top or not, just grow and improve. That’s what I take pride in.”