Predicting who will lead the Cubs in every major offensive category this season

Last season, the Chicago Cubs scored more runs than all but two teams in the National League. Unfortunately, those two teams they fell behind were the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers and the team's ever-constant thorn, the Milwaukee Brewers.

For half of the season, Jed Hoyer's bold offseason trade for Kyle Tucker paid off in spades. Then, injuries and ineffectiveness derailed the All-Star's campaign and, simultaneously, breakout star Pete Crow-Armstrong went cold - leaving major hole's in the team's offense. Still, there were major bright spots all around, including PCA's 30-30-30 season - the first in franchise history - and Seiya Suzuki's first 30/100 campaign.

So looking ahead to 2026, here's my best educated guess as to who will set the tone for the Cubs at the plate.

Cubs will get major contributions up and down the lineup this year

Home runs, OPS: Michael Busch

I am so tired of hearing about what the Cubs gave up in the Michael Busch trade. Sure, losing a pair of highly-regarded prospects like Zyhir Hope and Jackson Ferris stings, but it overlooks the contributions of Busch in his first two seasons in Chicago.

Last year, he led all Cubs players with 34 home runs and an .866 OPS - and he's poised to get more at-bats than ever before in 2026 with Craig Counsell viewing him as an everyday player, regardless of pitching matchups. I think there's a real chance Busch takes a run at the 40-homer mark this year and, with Pete Alonso out of the National League, the Cubs' slugger could finally get his due as one of the Senior Circuit's top all-around first basemen.

Runs batted in: Seiya Suzuki

If Seiya Suzuki's WBC performance to-date is any indication of what's to come in what could be his final year with the Cubs, we're in for a treat. He closed out 2025 with a postseason power surge and there's no reason to think he won't be a run-producing machine again this season.

The Japanese outfielder smacked 32 home runs, also adding 32 doubles en route to his first 100-RBI campaign and, frankly, I think the arrival of the ABS challenge system will be a huge difference-maker for Suzuki. Nobody in all of baseball had more balls called strikes against him over the last three years. Now, it's on Suzuki to make the most of this long-needed change.

Runs, stolen bases: Nico Hoerner

These categories are a coin flip for me between Nico Hoerner and Pete Crow-Armstrong. The tiebreaker goes to the former because he is just a more consistent on-base threat given his unmatched bat-to-ball skills.

PCA narrowly edged out his teammate in the runs department in 2025 (91 to 89) with both guys showing an elite blend of defensive prowess, baserunning ability and all-around talent. Crow-Armstrong didn't run nearly as much after the All-Star break last year (27 steals in the first half, just eight in the second half) - so I just don't know what to expect on that front heading into 2026.

His speed is obviously a complete game-changer, but he doesn't necessarily have to pile up stolen bases in order to be a major value add on the basepaths. Hoerner delivered consistency as a base stealer all season long and, for that reason, I'm giving him the slight edge here.

OBP: Alex Bregman

We'll close out this list with the new face in the Cubs' clubhouse, Alex Bregman. Maybe he's not a 30-100 guy anymore, but don't discount what he can do at the dish.

Last year, he punched out just 14.1 percent of the time, drawing walks at a 10.3 percent clip. With solid protection all around him, there's no reason to think he can't replicate those numbers, or even improve upon them. After all, that walk rate is actually below his career mark of 11.8 percent.

Expect Bregman to get on base a ton, serving as a major catalyst for the run producers like Suzuki and Busch hitting behind him. This guy is a professional hitter (not to mention an A+ clubhouse presence) - and Cubs fans are going to learn that very quickly.