A member of the single-A South Bend White Sox in June 1989, second-year pro Wayne Busby explained his mindset as a player to The South Bend Tribune.
"I expect a lot out of myself," Busby told The Tribune then. "I'm hard on myself about my defense. If I get two hits and make one error, the one error bothers me. If you get satisfied in this game, something's wrong."
Busby used that mindset to get to see a total of six pro campaigns, five of those in the White Sox organization. He saw AA over four of those, but he didn't make it higher.
Busby's career began in 1988, taken by the White Sox in the 19th round of the draft out of Mississippi College.
From the outset, the college Busby expressed excitement, his hometown Jackson Clarion-Ledger wrote.
"This is a chance of a lifetime," Busby said, according to The Clarion-Ledger. "I knew I was going to be put in the draft, but I didn't know I would be drafted."
Busby started with the White Sox in the rookie Gulf Coast League. He hit .276 over 51 games. He then split 1989 between single-A Sarasota and South Bend. He hit .252 over 104 games between them.
Busby made an appearance in a Sports Illustrated article at South Bend, needling writer and former minor leaguer Rick Wolff as Wolff returned to the game to briefly play with South Bend.
"Hey, old-timer," Wolff quoted Busby as joking about Wolff's age, "you better keep your cap on, 'cause people are going to start thinking there are two Golden Domes here in South Bend."
He started 1990 back at Sarasota, then played much of the rest of the year at Birmingham. He then returned to Birmingham for 1991 and 1992. He played 67 games and hit .162 in 1991 and 62 and hit .161 in 1992.
Busby then moved to the Cubs system for 1993. He played 27 games at AA Orlando in 1993 and nine at high-A Daytona to end his career.
Busby has gone on to see two sons follow him into college baseball and one, Dylan Busby, to the pros.
- Jackson Clarion-Ledger, Special Reports, June 9, 1988: MC's Busby and USM's Lindsey sign
- South Bend Tribune, June 17, 1989: Busby sets pace for shortstops
- Sports Illustrated, Aug. 21, 1989: Triumphant Return
Made the Majors:1,286-33.7%
Never Made Majors:2,531-66.3%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors:526
10+ Seasons in the Minors:321
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