Cubs BCB After Dark: How concerned are you about Busch?

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MARCH 31: Michael Busch #29 of the Chicago Cubs bats in a game against the Los Angeles Angels at Wrigley Field on March 31, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Matt Dirksen/Chicago Cubs/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Good evening. Welcome back to another night of BCB After Dark: the grooviest club for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. We’re so glad you decided to stop in. You’re always welcome here. The dress code is casual. The hostess can seat you now. Bring your own beverage.

BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.

The Cubs beat the Phillies tonight, 10-4. Riley Martin got his first career start and even though it was only for one inning, he retired the side in order on six pitches. He struck out Kyle Schwarber on three pitches. I mention this because I asked you last night if you thought that Martin would be a key part of the bullpen this year. You are bullish on Martin because 68 percent of you said “yes.”

I don’t normally do a movie essay on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, but I always have time for jazz. That time is now.

Tonight we’re featuring some bebop as saxophonist Sonny Stitt and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie perform in Belgium in 1958. Joining those two greats are Lou Levy on piano, Ray Brown on bass and Gus Johnson on drums.

This is “Blues Walk.”

Welcome back those of you who left us for a while.

I don’t have to tell you that Cubs first baseman Michael Busch is off to a terrible start to the season. He was one of the best hitters in the National League last year, but so far this year, he’s been one of the worst. After getting two doubles in the season opener, his bat has fallen silent. He had an 0 for 30 streak before an bloop pinch-hit RBI single on Sunday against the Pirates. He didn’t play in Monday’s loss to the Phillies, but he was back out there tonight and had two singles. However, neither hit inspires all that much confidence. One of them was a pretty standard ground ball single that found a hole between the first and second basemen. The other was just a little infield dribbler towards third base.

The problem seems to be that Busch simply isn’t hitting the ball hard or in the air. He’s not swinging at more pitches that he did last year. He is seeing a few more pitches outside the zone than he did last year, but not enough to make that big of a difference. He’s making contact at roughly the same rate.

The problem is that he isn’t making good contact. Everywhere you look on the Statcast data, the quality of contact made by Busch is down. He isn’t hitting the ball as hard as he did last year and when he does, it’s on the ground. Busch isn’t hitting the ball in the sweet spot and much and his exit velocity is down. Ground balls are way up. His bat speed was always below average, but it’s down even more this year.

I can’t tell you why Busch is having trouble making quality contact. I suspect that if Busch knew what was going wrong, he wouldn’t do it anymore.

So how worried are you about this development? Are you concerned that Busch has lost his mojo? Or do you think he’ll snap out of this anyday and be one of the best first basemen in the league again?

Thank you for stopping by this evening. It’s always good to have so many friends around. Please get home safely—we don’t want to lose one of those friends. Tell your friends about us. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow night for more BCB After Dark.