The Dodgers' trade of Michael Busch raised plenty of eyebrows a couple of years ago, but it's actually aging quite well for Los Angeles.
Zyhir Hope, the outfield prospect who headlined the package that the Dodgers received from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for Busch and reliever Yency Almonte, has been even better than advertised since the trade in 2023.
He has gotten off to a red-hot start at the High-A level this year, slashing .444/.583/.778 with three RBI and three walks in 13 trips to the plate, plus three stolen bases in his first three games.
Hope hit his first home run for High-A Great Lakes – a two-run shot off of Cleveland Guardians right-handed pitching prospect Dylan Delucia – on Saturday as part of a three-hit day that also included an RBI single in the first inning and another single in the seventh. All three hits had exit velocities of more than 100 mph off the bat.
Nothing subtle about Zyhir Hope's introduction to the High-A level 👀
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 5, 2025
The @Dodgers' No. 6 prospect crushes his first dinger for @greatlakesloons an estimated 427 feet at 111 mph. pic.twitter.com/XZJy6d3ht1
Dodgers fans' favorite trade steal Zyhir Hope makes loud introduction to High-A with powerful home run
The Cubs originally drafted Hope in the 11th round of the 2023 MLB Draft. They flipped him to the Dodgers that same year, along with pitching prospect Jackson Ferris, in the trade that sent Busch to Chicago. Hope hit .287/.415/.490 in 54 games in Single-A Rancho Cucamonga last summer at age 19, despite dealing with a stress fracture in his rib that sidelined him for three months.
Make no mistake – Hope isn't your typical 11th-round pick. After dominating in the Arizona Fall League – where he crushed a 470-foot home run – he entered 2025 ranked as the No. 75 prospect in baseball (according to MLB Pipeline) and the No. 6 prospect in the Dodgers' farm system.
Hope, who boasts a career slash line of .294/.425/.502 in 265 minor league at-bats, participated in his first Major League spring training this year with the Dodgers as a non-roster invitee. If the lefty-swinging slugger continues to rake the way he has since turning pro, he could make his way to the big leagues as quickly as he made his way to the top-100 prospect rankings.
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