Michael Busch, Nico Hoerner headline our 2025 Cubs postseason report card

Now that the postseason has come to an end for the Chicago Cubs, we can reflect on individual performances throughout the October run. Here are letter grades for key Cubs in the eight postseason games they played. As always, these are subjective and up to debate.

Infielders and Catcher

Michael Busch: A

Providing jump starts to several games with his power swing, Michael Busch had himself a postseason to remember. He slugged four homers and hit .296/.387/.741 with a 1.128 OPS in 31 plate appearances. His solo shot late in Game 3 of the Wild Card Series was a key insurance run, and his game-tying home run in the first inning of Game 3 of the NLDS got them going. Busch's four postseason homers tie him for third-most in Cubs history.

Nico Hoerner: A

One could argue Nico Hoerner was the Cubs' MVP down the stretch, playing sparkling defense and hitting like a machine. He racked up a team-leading 13 postseason hits, sporting a .419 average in 31 at-bats. In all eight games he played in, Hoerner got at least one hit, including four multi-hit efforts. The only thing keeping him from an A+ was the uncharacteristic error in Game 1 of the NLDS, which really opened the floodgates, but that's about it. This season was a spectacular one for the Gold Glover, and October was no exception.

Dansby Swanson: C

The glove was there, the bat was not. Dansby Swanson gets at least a C because his defense was a key factor in beating the Padres in the Wild Card Series. Without that glove, the Cubs are going home much earlier. At the plate, though, he hit a dismal .154/.241/.192 with no homers, one RBI and 15 strikeouts in 29 plate appearances. While he is not Trea Turner in terms of offense, you want more from a shortstop with pop, making the money that he is.

Matt Shaw: D+

Matt Shaw fielded the ball well (as he's done all year) and drew five walks in 23 plate appearances, but he was pretty overmatched most of the postseason. He hit just .118 with one RBI and no homers or extra-base hits of any kind. Outside of a two-hit effort in Game 4 of the NLDS, he went hitless in the playoffs. He's young and was a rookie, so he should get a little grace from fans.

Carson Kelly: D

Carson Kelly was signed to be a veteran backup and exceeded expectations in the regular season. In the playoffs, there was not much production at the plate. His Game 1 Wild Card home run was far and away his best moment, and it was a big one, no doubt. As a whole, though, that was his only homer and RBI, and he hit just .179/.233/.286 in the postseason.

Outfield and DH

Kyle Tucker: D+

This will spark the most controversy. Tucker's postseason slash is not awful, .259/.375/.370 but the overall production was not up to par for what the Cubs brought him in for. He was supposed to be the star and main cog in this lineup, and one homer and RBI in eight games is not ideal for someone playing such a big role. Game 5 really sealed the deal on a poor grade, going hitless with the big strikeout in a huge moment with two on and nobody out. Tucker's injury-riddled second half was tough to watch, and it had to be hard for him both physically and mentally, but the grade for a player of his caliber has to reflect on the results on the field.

Pete Crow-Armstrong: C-

There were some highs and lows for PCA's first postseason appearance. He had huge hits in Game 3 of the Wild Card Series and Game 3 of the NLDS. Overall, though, he hit just .185/.214/.185 with no homers and 12 strikeouts in 29 plate appearances. Oftentimes, he showed his frustration with himself when he did not come through, to a point where it honestly got a bit old. He wears his heart on his sleeve and wants to be the best version of himself, which is great, but there is a line to draw. Hopefully, he can take another step next year after an exciting 30-30 season.

Ian Happ: F

To start with a positive note, Happ's three-run shot in NLDS Game 4 will go down as one of the more memorable postseason homers at Wrigley Field. It was electric and was great to see for the longest-tenured Cub. With that said, the rest of his postseason was disastrous, hitting just .100/.156/.333 with three hits in eight games. Unlike guys like Crow-Armstrong and Shaw, Happ is a veteran, and the bat that needed to be there just wasn't. It stinks to see because he was finishing the regular season playing very well, finishing with 23 homers and a 120 OPS+. But this is about the playoffs, not 162.

Seiya Suzuki: B

While the average and OBP do not look great (.226 and .250), Seiya Suzuki slugged three homers, three doubles, and drove in five. That helped him sport a .613 slug and .863 OPS in 32 plate appearances. He had some rough ABs at times, but he did come up with enough big swings to be noticed in a good way. After his power fell off in the second half, it returned in the final week going into October, which was great to see. Also props to him for playing a good enough right field while Tucker had to DH due to his injury.

Pitchers

Matthew Boyd: B-

Matthew Boyd might get remembered for the disaster in Milwaukee, but he threw two very solid outings at Wrigley Field in Game 1 of the Wild Card Round and Game 4 of the NLDS. He finished with a 2.79 postseason ERA and 1.552 WHIP in 9 2/3 postseason innings. It was hard not to be happy for him in his final start when he redeemed the bad one, which, to be fair to him, he was on short rest.

Jameson Taillon: A

While he did not go super deep in his two starts, Jameson Taillon threw very well in his two starts, which were both elimination games. He totaled eight innings and pitched to a 2.25 ERA, 1.0 WHIP, seven strikeouts and one walk. The veteran righty missed some time this year due to injury, but since returning late in the season, he was lights out.

Shota Imanaga: F

Can't sugarcoat this one, Shota Imanaga was bad. This was a continuing trend from the tail end of the 2025 regular season. In 6 2/3 postseason innings, Imanaga gave up three homers and six earned runs. Seeing him not be able to hold a three-run lead in Game 2 for even an inning was brutal to witness. It got so bad that it seemed unfathomable to start him in a must-win Game 5, which a month or so ago, would seem crazy. We love Shota, but this was tough.

Brad Keller: B

Serving as the closer, Brad Keller recorded two saves in the postseason and pitched to a 1.59 ERA with five strikeouts and 0.71 WHIP in 5 2/3 innings. It was not always pretty, as his command looked very shaky at times. He walked two and hit two batters,, but it ultimately did not cost them. Overall a great year in relief for a career failed starter.

Danny Palencia: B+

Daniel Palencia was not used as a closer, but came in to put out fires and as middle relief. He had a rough go in Game 2 of the NLDS, giving up a homer and three runs, but threw scoreless ball outside of that. Credit to him for helping the Cubs get out of some big jams.

Colin Rea: B-

He was not used as a starter and pitched some mop-up duty in game 2 of the NLDS. His biggest appearance was Game 5, where he looked efficient for the most part, but gave up a go-ahead blast to Andrew Vaughn, and the wheels began to fall off. Could he or should he have started Game 1? Many ask, but it's moot at this point.

Drew Pomeranz: A-

What a find this guy was. In six postseason appearances, Drew Pomeranz gave up just one run on one hit with six strikeouts and no walks. He was huge out of the bullpen and helped the Cubs push the NLDS to five games. His only blemish was giving up a solo home run in Game 5 as the opener.

Caleb Thielbar: B+

Caleb Thielbar only pitched in certain matchups, but in 3 2/3 innings, he gave up no runs and struck out five. He did give up a few hits and three walks, but no real harm came of those. It was a great overall season for the veteran lefty.

Andrew Kittredge: C-

Andrew Kittredge got the final out to clinch the Wild Card Series, which was huge, but the overall performance in the postseason was pretty "meh". He surrendered three runs in five innings on three hits and a walk, and only struck out three.

Michael Soroka: F

The team's 'big' trade deadline addition gave up three runs on five hits in 1 2/3 innings of postseason play. The Michael Soroka trade simply did not work out in any way for the Cubs.

Ben Brown: Incomplete

Ben Brown ate a few innings in Game 1 of the NLDS, and that was it. He didn't give up a run, though.

Taylor Rogers: Incomplete

Taylor Rogers not on the NLDS roster and pitched one scoreless inning in Game 2 of the Wild Card Round.