Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

Michael Busch Has Emerged As Major Cubs Weapon And His Stats Prove It

Originally posted on Chicago Cubs on SI
By Maddy Dickens | Last updated Sep 27, 2025 9:03 PM ET

The Chicago Cubs have been dying for a player to step up at the plate as their offense went stagnant this summer. That player the organization was looking for is first baseman, Michael Busch.

Busch has been electric recently and exactly what the team has needed to get the ball rolling going into the postseason.

The 27-year-old has worked his way up to first in the hitting order and for good reason. In his last seven outings he has a slash line of .417/.517/1.250 with more home runs (five) than strikeouts (three), and an additional nine RBI to compliment.

His most recent game as the No.1 hitter was against the Saint Louis Cardinals where the Cubs not only won the game, but secured the series victory while clinching home field advantage in their upcoming wild card series to kick off the postseason. In that 7-3 victory, Busch went 4-for-4 with two homers (a lead off), a triple, a double, and a drawn walk.

Busch as a Cub

Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Busch made his debut in the majors in 2023 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but a trade sent him to the Cubs in January of last year. He was blocked from playing in LA with Freddie Freeman at first and Shoehei Ohtani at designated hitter. Well, their loss is the clearly the Cubs gain.

This is now the second full season that he's played in the majors and with the Cubs, and Busch has gotten better and better each year. He posted a respectable OPS that creeped up on .800 last season, but nothing else was comparable to the year he is having now.

In 2025, he leads Cubs' hitters with 34 home runs and his 90 RBI is third highest on the team trailing only Seiya Suzuki (102) and Pete Crow-Armstrong (95).

Home runs isn't the only stat that he leads the team in, however. His slugging percentage is the only one on the Cubs that is over .500 which also helps him lead the team in OPS with a .871.

Michael Busch’s 2025 season isn’t getting talked about nearly enough

(Ranks amongst qualified MLB 1B)

.262 AVG (15th)
.342 OBP (12th)
.521 SLG (1st)
34 HR (2nd)
89 RBI (6th)
23.6 K% (7th)
9.4 BB% (9th)

His QoC metrics are elite, and he’s improved across the board against FBs… pic.twitter.com/Qxq8e8XlyM
— Owen Hurd (@Owen_FBB) September 27, 2025

Chicago is now getting ready for their wild card series matchup with the San Diego Padres. Their pitching staff took a major hit today with Cade Horton being put on the injured list, so it is nice to see the Cubs' offense finding their stride again.

The future for the Cubs' is in good hands and it will be fun to watch Busch come this postseason.

This article first appeared on Chicago Cubs on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: