Michael Busch was ranked as the top Los Angeles Dodgers prospect for the 2024 season by Baseball America. Busch supplanted Diego Cartaya, who held the honor in each of the last two years.
Following Busch in the rankings are Dalton Rushing, Gavin Stone, Andy Pages, Nick Frasso, Josue De Paula, Kyle Hurt, River Ryan, Cartaya and Maddux Bruns.
Busch split the 2023 season between Triple-A Oklahoma City and the Dodgers. With OKC, he hit a stellar .323/.431/.618 with 26 doubles, 27 home runs and 90 RBI in 98 games.
The 26-year-old also had three separate stints at the Major League level and batted .167/.247/.292 with five extra-base hits and seven RBI in 27 games while appearing at four different positions.
Rushing spent the entire 2023 season with High-A Great Lakes and hit .228/.404/.452 with 18 doubles, 15 home runs and 53 RBI in 89 games.
Stone saw time with OKC and the Dodgers as well. He found more success in Triple-A, going 7-4 with a 4.74 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 10.7 strikeouts per nine over 100.2 innings pitched (21 games, 19 starts).
Stone struggled mightily in his limited opportunities with the Dodgers, finishing 1-1 with a 9.00 ERA, 6.64 FIP and 1.90 WHIP across 31 innings of work (eight games, four starts).
Pages appeared in only 34 games between Double-A Tulsa and OKC due to a season-ending shoulder injury that required surgery. He batted a combined .277/.425/.482 with 12 doubles, three home runs and 25 RBI in 146 plate appearances.
Frasso went 4-6 with a 3.77 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 10.4 strikeouts per nine in 93 innings pitched over 25 starts for the Drillers and OKC Dodgers.
De Paula hit .284/.396/.372 with 15 doubles, two triples, two home runs, 40 RBI and 14 stolen bases in 74 games for Single-A Rancho Cucamonga.
Hurt went a combined 4-4 with 3.91 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 14.9 strikeouts per nine in 92 innings pitched between Tulsa and OKC (26 games, 16 starts).
The right-hander additionally made one appearance with the Dodgers in which he tossed two perfect innings and recorded three strikeouts against the San Diego Padres.
Ryan went a combined 1-7 with a 3.80 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 9.5 strikeouts per nine in 104.1 innings pitched between the Drillers and OKC Dodgers (26 games, 24 starts).
Cartaya had a bit of a down year as he batted just .189/.278/.379 with 10 doubles, 19 home runs and 57 RBI across 93 games in his first action at Double-A.
Bruns went a combined 0-7 with a 3.99 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 11.7 strikeouts per nine in 97 innings pitched between the Quakes and Loons (26 starts).
Michael Busch named 2023 Pacific Coast League MVP
Busch was named the 2023 Pacific Coast League MVP after his stellar season with OKC and also earned recognition as the top MLB prospect in the PCL.
Along with winning the PCL MVP Award, Busch was named the 2023 Dodgers Branch Rickey Minor League Player of the Year and the organization’s Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America. He additionally was named to the All-MiLB Prospect First Team.
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