Cubs dominate our second NL Central hitter power rankings of the season

The Chicago Cubs are off to a roaring start and head into this weekend's matchup in Milwaukee in possession of first place in the National League Central. Despite shakiness in the bullpen and the loss of ace Justin Steele, the club carved up a formidable slate of opponents behind an offense that looks like the toast of the Senior Circuit.

Here's a look at our second NL Central hitter power rankings of the year, with one month of the 2025 season in the books.

1. Kyle Tucker, Cubs (Previous: 1)

Kyle Tucker has been even better than Cubs fans could have hoped: he walks, slugs, doesn't strike out, crushes lefties and dominates in the clutch. The Cubs' right fielder is in a bit of a cold stretch, with his OPS dropping below 1.000. He still is on pace to put up 89 extra-base hits and drive in 141 runs, hitting in the middle of the best offense in baseball. The contract talk is going to continue to crescendo throughout the season and the pressure on Tom Ricketts to find a way to scrounge together over $500 million to keep Tucker will be about the most pressure a Cubs owner has ever felt.

Statcast Superlative: Tucker's xSLG percentage is in the 97th percentile, at .599 (meaning his batted ball outcomes are actually slightly underperforming expectations). The quality of his contact is something that Cubs fans haven't seen since Kris Bryant was peaking.