3 Chicago Cubs hitters you'll want on your fantasy baseball team in 2025

The Chicago Cubs are heading into the 2025 season with hopes of returning to playoff contention, and I am looking to continue my hot streak in fantasy sports.

For the first time in a few seasons, the Cubs will have several hitters with everyday roles that are appealing from a fantasy baseball standpoint. Offseason acquisitions and young bucks who carved out more playing time last year have contributed to this larger pool of fantasy producers.

With the season approaching soon, here are three Cubs hitters I will be targeting in my fantasy drafts this spring.

1. CF Pete Crow-Armstrong

Unlike last season, the Chicago Cubs are heading into the 2025 season with Pete Crow-Armstrong projected to helm the starting center fielder job. With Cody Bellinger off the roster and Crow-Armstrong's elite defensive abilities, it's unlikely he will be moved off a full-time role unless his production at the plate takes a dramatic nosedive.

A full season's worth of at-bats for the young outfielder could yield some electric fantasy baseball results. Stolen bases and runs are two scoring categories in which Crow-Armstrong is most likely to put up elite numbers given his outstanding speed. It only took 372 at-bats for him to collect 27 stolen bags, good enough for 13th-most in the National League. Barring injury, Crow-Armstrong should amass closer to 600 at-bats and likely north of 50 stolen bases.

The biggest concern is Crow-Armstrong improving his hitting skills in order to actually get on base and in position to steal bags and score runs. He made good progress as the 2024 season rolled on though, raising his wRC+ to 104 in the second half as opposed to 64 in the first. There's certainly still room for improvement, but the speed and sneaky 15-20 home run power potential make Crow-Armstrong a very intriguing fantasy option.

2. RF Kyle Tucker

Kyle Tucker has been a top-10 fantasy pick in redraft leagues for several years at this point, and it is simply because he posts high numbers across the board. The right fielder is a consistent 30-home run, 100-RBI threat who hits for average, gets on base, and scores a lot of runs. Despite missing half of the 2024 season with a broken shin, Tucker still provided good value to fantasy managers when he was healthy with 23 bombs and a .993 OPS.

That injury may be a bit of a setback in the stolen bases department. Tucker swiped 25 and 30 bags in 2022 and 2023 respectively, but the broken shin kept him on the sidelines for a significant chunk of last year. The former Astro has never been particularly speedy metrics-wise and as he gets closer to 30 years old, swiping bags may be less of a concern - especially when the Cubs will have Crow-Armstrong and Nico Hoerner leading the speed department.

Stolen bases aside, Tucker is still going to be extremely valuable in 2025. There's virtually zero concern about playing time with the left-handed hitter. Tucker will slot into right field for the Cubs, hit near the top of the batting order, and hopefully continue the superstar-level play he has routinely displayed in Houston throughout his career. As long as injuries don't stand in the way, Tucker should live up to his usual status as a top-10 pick.

3. 1B Michael Busch

Michael Busch was a sneaky fantasy pick last season that likely went undrafted in many leagues. But now that he has emerged as the everyday first baseman in Chicago, the secret is out and Busch will be a highly sought-after fantasy player.

2024 was just the first full major league season for the 27-year-old, but his offensive adjustments resulted in 28 doubles, 21 home runs, 65 RBI and a respectable .775 OPS. Busch has always been highly regarded and the Dodgers took him in the first round of the 2019 draft. He had fantastic power numbers in the minor leagues from 2021-2023, where he hit 79 home runs and 91 doubles.

The only thing he lacked was consistent playing time in Los Angeles since Freddy Freeman was on the roster. But now he has runway in Chicago and he proved he can handle first base both defensively and as a producer in the lineup. If he continues to make positive improvements from the left side of the plate, Busch could knock on the door of 25+ homers and 80+ RBI.