Something is wrong with Cubs' Michael Busch

Something is wrong with Cubs' Michael Busch originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Things aren't getting better for Michael Busch.

After a high-octane 2025 season for the Chicago Cubs, the first baseman is mired in one of the worst slumps in baseball over the first month of the 2026 MLB season.

The traditional stats are bumpy enough: Busch has a .173 batting average and .467 OPS.

But one category under the hood is particularly concerning: Busch's exit velocity.

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He has the largest year-to-year decline in average exit velocity in baseball (through April 21).

In 2025, Busch had a 92.2 MPH average exit velocity.

This season so far, Busch is at 83.4 MPH on average.

That 8.8 MPH decline is the most in MLB by 2.0 miles per hour (with Gleyber Torres having a 6.8 MPH being second-worse).

It would make some sense to expect a turnaround from Busch, but will he make it all the way back to last season's levels?

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His average exit velocity in both 2023 and 2024 both came in at just more than 89 miles per hour, so last season was a surge upward. There was reason to believe that Busch genuinely got better, but he's also shown so far this season that he's not a flawless hitter.