Cubs First Baseman Michael Busch Has Quietly Been Elite This Season

As the Chicago Cubs continue to play well, it has been a group effort for them so far this season.

Coming into the year, expectations were very high after an excellent winter and two straight 83-win campaigns.

The Cubs felt like a team that was close to becoming a contender in the National League, and moves made this winter have seemingly help push them over the top.

This offseason, the addition of Kyle Tucker was not only the most notable move for Chicago, but in the entire league. Even though he might have been a bit underrated prior to the trade, Tucker is an MVP caliber player in the league.

For good reason, the talented outfielder has received a lot of the credit for the turnaround for the Cubs this campaign, but others have contributed as well.

Outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has seemingly become a star as well for Chicago, with his production at the plate starting to match his ability in the field and on the base paths.

While those two have carried the load offensively, others on the team have also done well.

Who Else Has Been Elite?

This winter, there was some conversation that the Cubs might look to make a major splash at first base to help provide some pop in their lineup. That ultimately didn’t happen, and they went into the year with Michael Busch as the starting first baseman.

In his first year with the Cubs in 2024, Busch was a solid contributor on offense. He slashed .248/.335/.440 with 21 home runs and 65 RBI. It was a very nice campaign for the young slugger, and replacing him would have been surprising.

Sticking with the 27-year-old has proven to be a good decision so far. He has followed up his strong 2024 season with some improvements so far this year.

In 2025, he has slashed .255/.356/.475 with seven home runs and 24 RBI in 42 games played.

With his slash line numbers up across the board, it’s safe to say that he could be on pace for a career year.

Even though he is having an excellent campaign, he has certainly been overshadowed by some of the other stars on the team. However, Busch deserves a lot of credit for his strong start as well.

As the Cubs hope to be contenders, they are going to be relying heavily on their offense to carry them. Busch might not be a star, but he is making quite a name for himself as a significant contributor for Chicago.