The Chicago Cubs have rolled into May, still scorching hot and defying expectations. Though their pitching staff has been solid enough to stand against the class of the league, the offense has been the real star of the show, ranking third in both wRC+ (123) and home runs (55) among all teams while pacing MLB in runs scored (222).
It’s a complete turnaround from the past several years, where the team was plagued by a lack of power and superstar hitters.
We’re a long way from crowning league MVPs, but with so many standout performances to start the year, experts are already considering multiple Cubs for the end-of-season hardware. In MLB’s first survey about potential candidates to take home top honors in the NL and AL, three North Siders received votes from the 46 participants.
Unsurprisingly, Kyle Tucker landed in the top five with four first-place votes, falling behind only Shohei Ohtani, Pete Alonso and Fernando Tatis Jr., while Seiya Suzuki and Pete Crow-Armstrong also received votes through the ranked-choice system.
Even before the year started, Tucker was viewed as a threat to give the Cubs their first MVP since Kris Bryant in 2016, given all he’d done in Houston. After years of being overshadowed by other stars, he’s embraced his role as the team’s aircraft carrier, slashing .284/.393/.560 with a 162 wRC+, nine home runs, and 1.8 fWAR. With nine stolen bases, he’s also on pace for a 40-40 season. Chicago has rarely, if ever, seen performances that impressive, and, in the context of the entire league, it’s enough to place him tenth out of all hitters in wRC+. For the fans, it’s also just been exciting to watch a proper superstar play in the Friendly Confines again.
He hasn’t even been the most entertaining player to watch on the team, though. That honor goes to Crow-Armstrong, who has blossomed at the plate with .271/.306/.550 slash line and 137 wRC+, all while still
delivering dazzling center field defense and a top-five-worthy 12 stolen bases. All of that has been enough to make him the team’s most valuable player with 2.1 fWAR and a real threat to jump into the top five himself if he keeps things up. Not to be outdone, Suzuki’s .269/.333/.554/145 wRC+ performance has him among the top 30 players and has been a big reason why the Cubs’ heart of the order is so hard to pitch to.
All three players getting MVP consideration reflects not just the hot start the Cubs are on, but the fact that the team has individual stars gaining national recognition. The thing is, these rankings don’t tell the full story. As good as Tucker, Suzuki, and PCA have been, Michael Busch has also been stellar with a 140 wRC+, while Carson Kelly’s absurd 252 wRC+ would put him in similar company with Aaron Judge if he qualified. Ian Happ, too, has been scorching hot of late, bringing him up to a 123 wRC+.
The Chicago Cubs haven’t had a collection of talent like this in a long time
Again, it’s early, and there are likely to be slumps and regression for some Cubs hitters. Through the first month plus, though, the sheer quantity of standout individual performances and the recognition of their stardom is something the team hasn’t had since 2016. Not only did Bryant win MVP that year, but Anthony Rizzo finished fourth, and Addison Russell and Kyle Hendricks even got some down-ballot love. Since then, the likes of Javier Baez, Yu Darvish, and Cody Bellinger have all earned some recognition, but nothing that quite compares to the depth of star power on the curse-breaking club.
If they continue playing close to this level, there’s a real possibility the Cubs will once again have multiple players in the conversation as some of the best in the league by the year’s end. It would also be a hugely positive development for future seasons, showing that this team does have legitimate offensive star power developing beyond their rental of Tucker. Crow-Armstrong and Busch, in particular, have plenty of control left before they hit free agency.
We could be witnessing the birth of that mythical next great Cubs team at last — one with stars that can blow people out and a pipeline of talent still coming, including third baseman Matt Shaw and the white-hot Moises Ballesteros. A fan can dream.