The key to Busch's consistent rookie year? 'No panic'

This story was excerpted from Jordan Bastian’s Cubs Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CHICAGO – Michael Busch got on an impressive roll offensively out of the gates this year before the first prolonged slump of his Cubs career arrived in May. During that time, Cubs hitting coach Dustin Kelly saw a trait behind the scenes that he believed would bode well for the rest of the rookie’s season.

“No panic,” Kelly said. “If you were to walk in the clubhouse or walk in the cage, you wouldn’t know that he was struggling at all. And I think that’s a sign of a really confident, good player that knows that there’s better things around the corner.”

Kelly’s assessment was accurate, as Busch not only got his offensive season back on track, but has emerged as one of Chicago’s steadiest performers over the course of the season. Heading into Monday’s series opener against the Twins, the rookie first baseman tied for the Cubs’ lead in FanGraphs WAR (2.3).

In Sunday’s 6-2 win over the Cardinals, Busch connected for a go-ahead RBI single (97.7 mph exit velocity, per Statcast) in the fifth inning that held up as the difference maker. One game earlier, he belted a two-run homer in the first (107.5 mph) and contributed another base hit (105.9 mph) in the fifth. Busch also homered in Friday’s victory over St. Louis.

“Offensively, he’s just been consistent,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “He had a little stretch after the hot streak [to start the season], but since – it feels like – June, [he's been] super consistent. Good at-bats and a tough out.”

Overall this season, which is Busch’s first full-time MLB campaign and first with the Cubs – who acquired him from the Dodgers over the winter – he has hit .260 with 15 homers, 22 doubles, 44 RBIs and an .806 OPS through 107 games. Only Seiya Suzuki has a higher wRC+ (135) than Busch (127) among the Cubs’ group of qualified batters.

Defensively, Busch leads MLB first basemen in Defensive Runs Saved (10) and has four Outs Above Average in his first season at the position.

“The progress that he’s made defensively,” Counsell said, “from the start of Spring Training to where we’re at now, has been fun to watch, for sure. He’s taken a couple really big steps forward.”

After posting a 130 wRC+ with an .833 OPS in March-April, Busch slipped into a lull in May that included a 104 wRC+, a .712 OPS, a .208 average and a 37.2% strikeout rate. While even the game’s biggest stars are not immune from in-season slumps, this was Busch’s first as a Major League regular.

As Kelly pointed out, Busch just tried to maintain a no-panic approach.

“It’s the game of baseball,” said the rookie. “Ups and downs – throughout the Minor Leagues, throughout college – that’s been part of my career. Sometimes you feel like it happens only to you, but it happens for everyone. The biggest thing for me [when it happened] in the Minor Leagues was just getting at-bats.

“I wanted to grind through that a little bit and get used to that a little bit, and figure out some things. I feel like in my early Minor League career, I was pretty inconsistent. I want to be consistent every year. I know there’s ups and downs, but you’re trying to make those downs a little smaller.”