A 2025 playoff berth for the Cubs was fueled by the ascendance of three players – first baseman Michael Busch, outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and rookie starting pitcher Cade Horton.
Busch and Crow-Armstrong, who cemented himself as an elite defensive center fielder, both received votes for the National League MVP Award while combining for 65 home runs, 185 RBIs and 10.6 bWAR. Horton, the NL Rookie of the Year runner-up, bolstered a rotation constantly looking for depth with only Matthew Boyd reaching 160 innings pitched.
Let’s take a look at what made the trio so successful this past season and the challenges each could face in repeating – or exceeding – his performance in 2026.
Michael Busch
Key numbers: 34 HR, 90 RBIs, .523 SLG, 25 2B
Busch was one of five first baseman in MLB to eclipse 30 home runs, and what made his accomplishment unique was that nearly half of his 34 home runs (16) came from the leadoff spot. Busch was moved to the top of the Cubs’ order in July and thrived there, delivering a .553 slugging percentage in 52 games.
There’s almost nothing to suggest that Busch’s breakout was a fluke – he ranked in the 90th percentile or better in barrel percentage, expected slugging percentage and average exit velocity. Busch got to those figures by demolishing fastballs to the tune of a .605 slugging percentage and 15 homers against four-seamers. In a smaller sample, he was even better against changeups, slugging .714.
The final step in the 28-year-old Busch’s evolution as a slugger is solving left-handed pitching. In 95 plate appearances against southpaws, Busch slashed .207/.274/.368, compared to .272/.356/.554 against right-handers. That was a step down from the .712 OPS Busch carried against lefties in 2024, and if he can return to a similar level while staying dominant against righties, he’ll solidify himself as a force no matter where he bats in the lineup.
Pete Crow-Armstrong
Key numbers: 31 HR, 95 RBIs, 37 2B, 35 SB, 6.0 bWAR, 24 OAA
The question for Crow-Armstrong, who turns 24 on MLB’s Opening Night in March, is whether he has reached the peak of a player who excels defensively and hits with power but struggles with plate discipline.
If Crow-Armstrong’s 2025 was the best he can offer, at least at this stage of his career, a repeat would be perfectly palatable. He finished ninth in MVP voting, made the All-Star team and won a Gold Glove in the first season he qualified for the batting title.
Despite 72 extra-base hits and stellar defense, Crow-Armstrong was held back by a .287 on-base percentage, a product of a 41.7 percent chase rate that ranked in the bottom 2 percent in baseball and a 4.5 percent walk rate that ranked in the bottom 4 percent. He also batted just .181 against four-seam fastballs.
If Crow-Armstrong can improve those numbers even marginally, his ceiling rises along with that of the Cubs. If he improves them significantly, he’s in the conversation as the best player in baseball, since he has power, speed and defense already covered.
And if not, Crow-Armstrong has already shown he can be a centerpiece of a playoff team.
Cade Horton
Key numbers: 11-4, 2.67 ERA, 1.085 WHIP, 118 IP, 97 SO
Horton dominated Triple-A before being promoted to the Cubs in May and experiencing growing pains common for rookies. Through nine starts, Horton, who turned 24 in August, carried a 4.80 ERA, and his ERA was still above 4.00 in late July.
That’s when Horton began a stretch that not only pushed the Cubs to a postseason berth but vaulted him into the thick of the Rookie of the Year race, where he ultimately finished second to Braves catcher Drake Baldwin.
Between July 20 and Horton being placed on the IL with a rib fracture in September, the right-hander pitched 61 1/3 innings with a 1.03 ERA, 54 strikeouts and 33 hits surrendered. He didn’t allow more than two runs in any of his final 12 starts and had a stretch of four straight scoreless outings beginning July 20 and covering 22 2/3 innings.
Horton’s strikeout numbers ticked up over his final nine appearances, with 44 strikeouts in 44 1/3 innings. For the season, his 20.4-percent strikeout rate ranked in the bottom third in MLB, and his hard-hit percentage was in the bottom half.
If Horton can better harness a four-seam fastball that averages 95.7 mph and continue the improved strikeout numbers, he’ll be a fixture at the top of the Cubs’ rotation for years to come.