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UNC Baseball: Michael Busch selected for MLB All-Star Futures Game

By Nick Delahanty

CHAPEL HILL, NC - FEBRUARY 19: An Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and NCAA game baseball during a game between High Point and North Carolina at Boshamer Stadium on February 19, 2020 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Andy Mead/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NC - FEBRUARY 19: An Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and NCAA game baseball during a game between High Point and North Carolina at Boshamer Stadium on February 19, 2020 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Andy Mead/ISI Photos/Getty Images) /
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This former UNC baseball standout will represent the Tar Heels in this year’s MLB All-Star Futures Game.

During All-Star weekend, Major League Baseball hosts their annual Futures Game. This game is designed to showcase some of the sports top minor league prospects that will eventually make their way to the big league level.

Tar Heel fans may want to watch this year’s futures game, as the UNC baseball program will be represented in this seven-inning contest.

Former UNC baseball standout Michael Busch has been selected to play in this year’s futures game. He has been chosen to represent the Los Angeles Dodgers organization.

After three impressive seasons in Chapel Hill, the Dodgers selected Busch with the 31st overall pick in the first round of the 2019 MLB Amateur Draft. His professional career started out a bit slow, as he only appeared in 10 games between Rookie and High-A ball.

After a brief stint in the Arizona Fall League, Busch was one of many minor leaguers throughout the sport to be impacted by the COVID-19 virus. Major League Baseball decided it was best to not have any minor league seasons in 2020, which impacted the development of the sports’ future stars.

However, after the hiatus, Busch is back, and has appeared in 42 games for the Dodgers Double-A affiliate. Over 193 plate appearances, the now 23-year-old has posted a slash line of .222/.363/.386. He has shown that he can hit for some power, as he already has six home runs this season.

Although there are no guarantees that all these players will eventually become big league stars, the game certainly has had a history of previewing some of the future names that have become staples within the game. Some current Major Leaguers who have played in this game include: Miguel Cabrera (2001, 2002), Clayton Kershaw (2007), Mike Trout (2010), Gerrit Cole (2012), Xander Bogaerts (2012, 2013), Javier Baez (2014), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (2017), Ronald Acuña Jr. (2017), Fernando Tatís Jr. (2018), among others.

Busch will have the opportunity to showcase his skills on one of the sports biggest stages for minor league prospects. Who knows: maybe the former Tar Heel is in line to be one of baseball’s biggest stars in the future.

The MLB All-Star Futures game, presented by SiriusXM, will take place on Sunday, July 11, 2021 at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado. The game will be broadcasted live on MLB Network.

Next. UNC Baseball: Kyle Seager reflects on personal MLB milestone. dark

Continue to follow the Keeping It Heel team for all the latest news and updates on Michael Busch and the rest of the UNC baseball program.

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