Ranking the 5 Chicago Cubs players most likely to have a breakout season

As the Chicago Cubs look to meaningfully compete this year, several young players are poised to take a step forward in 2025.

The front office and team President Jed Hoyer will likely give these young players a lot of runway in 2025 as they hope for the first playoff run since 2020.

5. Cade Horton

Although he was sidelined for much of 2024 with a shoulder injury, right-hander Cade Horton is primed to come back with a vengeance in 2025. The former Sooner is the top pitching prospect in the Cubs' organization thanks to his elite slider and fastball combo. These pitches have helped Horton reach the Triple-A level and strike out batters at a 33.5% clip across 88.1 innings in 2023.

With the injury behind him, Horton has looked sharp this Spring as the 23-year-old makes his case for a big-league call-up. Staying healthy has been the biggest challenge of his college and professional career, but he will likely make an appearance at Wrigley this year if he stays off the injured list. Even if he is limited to a bullpen role, the Cubs would greatly benefit from Horton's talents and there is a good chance he stays on the active roster after his debut.

4. RHP Daniel Palencia

Reliever Daniel Palencia has been a breakout candidate for years at this point, but it always feels like he is very close to figuring things out. Regardless of anything, Palencia's blazing fastball, which regularly touches 100 mph during his outings, and his wicked slider are two plus pitches that give the 25-year-old huge potential.

Like many relievers in the Cubs' system, Palencia hasn't quite figured out how to improve his control yet. A lot of his outings are either boom, bust, or a little bit of both with a lot of strikeouts and walks (17.4 walk rate in 2024). With two minor league options remaining on his contract, Palencia will most likely start the season in Triple-A where he will be one of the main depth pieces for the Major League bullpen.

If Palencia can learn to locate his fastball better and decrease the walk rate, he has immense potential as a setup man or even a closer.

3. 3B Matt Shaw

Although the team attempted to upgrade their third base situation by offering Alex Bregman a contract, the veteran decided to ink a deal with the Boston Red Sox. This left top prospect Matt Shaw as the team's most logical option for third base.

Shaw has proven to be more than capable with every minor league promotion he has received in his brief time as a pro. After being taken 13th overall in the 2023 draft, Shaw stormed through the Cubs' system to earn his status as the organization's no. 1 prospect. Between Double-A Knoxville and Triple-A Iowa last year, Shaw slashed .284/.379/.488, with 44 extra-base hits, 62 walks, and 31 stolen bases.

His balance of power and speed gives Shaw 20-20 potential in the big leagues, with the ability to hit for average and use plate discipline to take walks. Shaw can also play all infield positions aside from first base, which gives the team a lot of flexibility defensively since he plays them at a high level.

Shaw's adaptability, high ceiling, and mental fortitude make him a prime candidate to break into the majors and stay there for a long time. Third base is his job to lose at this point

2. OF Pete Crow-Armstrong

Pete Crow-Armstrong has already shown the ability to play at a solid level in MLB. After struggling at the plate in the immediate months after his 2024 callup, Crow-Armstrong turned it around and raised his wRC+ to 104 in the second half. The young outfielder still has time to develop his bat since he's only heading into his age-23 season. But if he takes a legitimate step forward offensively, he will be an incredibly valuable component of the team.

Crow-Armstrong already has two impressive tools in his game and they almost warrant a roster spot on their own. Crow-Armstrong's elite speed and everyday presence in the lineup already give him a chance to be among the league leaders in stolen bases in 2025. His legs, along with his gold-glove caliber defense in center field, will justify his playing time.

But if Crow-Armstrong can keep using the opposite field, or even improve his plate discipline to generate more walks, his feet will give the Cubs a unique run-producing threat. Crow-Armstrong's speed keeps the pitcher humble and often forces the defense to make errors and unwise plays. These chaotic situations usually involve Crow-Armstrong taking at least an additional 90 feet on the basepaths and sometimes more.

1. RHP Ben Brown

Now that Ben Brown has recovered from his osteoma issue from last season, the path is wide open for him to succeed in MLB. Before the injury ended his 2024 campaign prematurely, Brown already looked like an emerging force in the starting rotation. The slender right-hander compiled a solid 3.58 ERA over 15 appearances (8 starts) with 64 strikeouts, and WHIP of 1.08.

Brown had this success while primarily using only a fastball and knuckle curve combination, but he is also working on expanding his arsenal with a changeup. If he can develop the offspeed delivery into a legitimate third option, Brown's potential as a starter will increase even more.

Since his osteoma was apparently a one-time issue and he is looking to diversify his pitch mix, Brown is the most likely candidate to excel and build on his prior success. There will be ample opportunity as well with Javier Assad landing on the injured list to begin 2025. If Brown doesn't begin the season as the team's fifth starter, he will be next in line if someone goes down with an injury.