Busch is the 319th former Northwoods League player to debut in MLB
Rochester, Minn. – Former St. Cloud Rox player Michael Busch made his Major League debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday, April 25, 2023. Busch is the 319th former Northwoods League player to reach the Major League level.
Busch, who played collegiately at the University of North Carolina, played for the Rox in 2017. He was drafted in the 1st round, 31st overall, of the 2019 MLB draft by the Dodgers.
In 2017 with the Rox, Busch played in 49 games and hit .291 with four home runs, 17 doubles and one triple. He drove in 28, stole two bases and walked 37 times.
Busch started his professional career in 2019 with the Dodgers Lasorda team in the Rookie Level Arizona League. After five games he moved to the Great Lakes Loons of the Lo-A Midwest League. In 10 games he hit .125 with two RBI and five runs scored.
In 2021 Busch spent the full season with the Tulsa Drillers of the AA Central League. In 107 games he hit .267 with 20 home runs, 27 doubles and one triple. He stole two bases, drove in 67 and walked 70 times.
Busch started the 2022 season with Tulsa and then moved up to the Oklahoma City Dodgers of the AAA Pacific Coast League. Between the two clubs he played in 142 games and hit .274 with 32 home runs, 38 doubles and 108 RBI. He walked 74 times, stole four bases, and scored 118 times.
Prior to his call-up to the Dodgers, Busch had played in 21 games in Oklahoma City and was hitting .337 with two home runs and 16 RBI. In his Major League debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Busch started the game as the DH and went 1-3 at the plate with an RBI and a run scored.
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now entering its’ 30th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 24 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, over 315 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (NYM), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2021 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website at watchnwl.com and on ESPN+. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.