The highest-rated Cubs players on MLB The Show 24 are no surprise

The latest installment in the MLB The Show franchise drops 3/19 and based on the sneak peek of initial player ratings, if you're like me and can't help but play using the Chicago Cubs, the road to success might be a little less rocky this year.

On the heels of Jed Hoyer's 2021 fire sale that saw the team trade Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Javier Baez, you really had to get creative to win consistently with a roster headlined by guys like Frank Schwindel and Patrick Wisdom. But now, with two former Gold Glovers and World Series champions leading the way, MLB The Show 24 should be a very different story.

Cody Bellinger, who returned on a three-year, $80 million deal that contains a pair of opt-outs, and shortstop Dansby Swanson lead all Cubs players with an 88 rating. Bellinger, the reigning NL Comeback Player of the Year, did a little bit of everything for the team in 2023 and Swanson continued to build on his career-long reputation as a leader and elite defender in his first season with the team.

Both will have to play big roles for first-year Cubs manager Craig Counsell in 2024 if the team wants to achieve what Bellinger said brought him back to Chicago: bringing postseason baseball back to Wrigley Field this fall.

Justin Steele boasts best MLB The Show 24 rating of any Cubs pitcher

Last year's Cy Young candidate Justin Steele comes in at an 85 rating and another strong season from the left-hander could push him close to that coveted 90 mark by next year. The 28-year-old southpaw has openly acknowledged the need to back up last year's breakout showing with another strong campaign, so seeing him check in in the mid-80s feels spot-on.

Rounding out the top 5, we have outfielder Seiya Suzuki at an 84 and Gold Glove second baseman Nico Hoerner at an 83. If Suzuki can replicate what he did for the season's final two months over the course of 162 games, he could not only be the best player on this team, but one of the biggest offensive threats in all of baseball.

All told, the team at Sony seem to have hit the Cubs' player ratings on MLB The Show 24 right on the head. It was kind of surprising to see Ian Happ outside the top 5, but he continues to be a quietly underrated left fielder on a national level, even after bringing home back-to-back Gold Gloves, which might explain it.