Ranking the Cubs' 10 most valuable players at the midway point of the season

Chicago Cubs fans have plenty of players to thank for what is turning into the most memorable season in Chicago in a while. But these 10 players have shouldered a lot of the season's long burden so far, keeping the team in the hunt for an NL Central title and hopefully a deep playoff run.

10 most valuable Cubs players heading into the second half of the season

1. Pete Crow-Armstrong

We all know how hyped up Pete Crow-Armstrong was heading into this year, but I don't think anyone was expecting this kind of season. We're looking at a 23-year-old kid who has already smacked 25 home runs, driven in 71 runs and stolen 27 bags at the All-Star break. The list of accolades keeps growing as Crow-Armstrong nabbed his first All-Star start this year, and he is a virtual shoo-in for the Gold Glove Award in center field.

If Shohei Ohtani did not play in the National League, Crow-Armstrong would be the favorite to win the NL MVP award. This is a monumental step forward for a guy some people didn't even think could hit in the big leagues as recently as this spring. We are witnessing the ascendence of a superstar talent in Chicago, and it's hard not to smile when you realize Crow-Armstrong will be on this team for at least the next five seasons.

2. Kyle Tucker

Speaking of superstars, Kyle Tucker is exactly what the Cubs bargained for when they traded for him last winter. There's an argument to be made that the Cubs' offense, which has consistently been near the top of total runs scored all year long has been driven by Tucker's presence in the lineup.

The guy has the presence of a professional hitter who works deep counts, draws walks (60), hits in clutch spots (56 RBI), and hits for power consistently (40 extra-base hits). Tucker is also an exceptional baserunner who already has 22 steals on the season.

Batting Tucker second in the lineup is also a massive headache for opposing pitchers, who know they can't work around him with his speed and dangerous hitters like Seiya Suzuki and Crow-Armstrong hitting behind him. Tucker elevates everyone else and helps drive this impressive Cubs offense, making him extremely valuable to Chicago.

3. Matthew Boyd

Matthew Boyd has simply pitched like an ace this year. Coming off an impressive comeback with the Guardians last year, Boyd has made the most of the first season of his two-year pact with Chicago. As of the All-Star break, Boyd is leading the Cubs staff with 111 2/3 innings pitched, 102 strikeouts and a 1.03 WHIP with a 2.34 ERA.

Of Boyd's first 19 starts this year, 13 of them are designated quality starts, making Boyd the epitome of consistency for the Cubs this year. Without Boyd, the Cubs would have been in serious trouble in 2025 with Justin Steele out for the season, Shota Imanaga missing nearly two months and Jameson Taillon now on the shelf with a calf injury. Not to mention the fact that Ben Brown was unable to hold down a rotation spot due to poor performance.

Boyd has been the rock who has routinely given the Cubs a chance to win while he is on the mound. Just before being named to his first All-Star team, Boyd completed his best game of the year when he turned in eight shutout innings against the New York Yankees.

4. Shota Imanaga

Now that Shota Imanaga is back and healthy, the Cubs are relying on him to pitch like an ace down the stretch. He's proving that his rookie season was not a fluke since he owns a 2.65 ERA over 12 starts this year. Although his strikeout numbers are a bit down, the 31-year-old is still limiting opposing hitters to a .192 batting average, and his free passes are few and far between.

Imanaga is the guy, and after rehabbing his hamstring for two months, hopefully his arm is rested for a deep playoff run in October.

5. Daniel Palencia

The Cubs bullpen would likely be in a much more destabilized state if Daniel Palencia had not emerged as a lockdown closer. Over the past few seasons, Palencia has gotten chances to prove himself at the big league level with little success. His triple-digit velocity always gave him immense potential, but he often struggled with command.

All of that changed when Palencia was called up on April 15. It was almost immediately apparent that we were witnessing a different version of Palencia, one that was able to locate his off-speed deliveries to complement his 100 mph fastball. A fastball that Palencia is now able to routinely locate in the strike zone.

It wasn't long before the 25-year-old claimed the ninth inning, and he has been electric. At the All-Star break, Palencia has already collected 12 saves, 39 strikeouts and a stellar 1.57 ERA over 34.1 innings pitched. Perhaps most importantly, Palencia has only walked 11 batters, and his overall walk rate is down nearly 10 percentage points from last year.

6. Michael Busch

First baseman Michael Busch has also taken a huge step forward in his development. The 27-year-old is emerging as a major power-hitting threat in his second full season in the majors. At the All-Star break, Busch is third in the National League with a .925 OPS, behind only Los Angeles Dodgers stars Shohei Ohtani and Will Smith.

Busch is on pace to crack 30+ home runs and 100+ RBI this year, marks that are akin to Anthony Rizzo in his prime. The former Dodger is also improving his skills at first base and getting more looks against left-handed pitching, increasing his value even more as the year goes on (3.4 bWAR already). With four more years of team control, the Cubs look pretty set at first base if Busch continues to play anything like he has.

7. Seiya Suzuki

Hitting behind on-base machines like Ian Happ and Kyle Tucker has done wonders for Seiya Suzuki's numbers, as he has consistently floated around the top of the league in RBI total (tied for fifth in MLB with 77). Suzuki has also found his power stroke this season, and he's already smacked a career-high (in MLB) 25 home runs at the halfway point.

Focusing on being the designated hitter has seemingly worked out well for Suzuki. He's always had the ability to hit the ball hard, but he looks like the most complete version of himself at the plate and it's paying dividends for the team's ability to score runs.

8. Carson Kelly

The Cubs finished the 2024 campaign with a huge question mark at catcher. Miguel Amaya was going to be the team's starter but the team had no one to back him up after a carousal of second catchers last year, including Yan Gomes, Christian Bethancourt and Tomas Nido.

The answer was veteran backstop Carson Kelly, and I don't think anyone expected him to be this good. At 30 years old, Kelly is enjoying the most productive season of his 10-year career, as he already has a career-high bWAR of 2.8. Although he's had his ups and downs at the plate, Kelly is slashing a perfectly healthy .276/.376/.523, which is unheard of out of the backup catcher spot.

But Kelly has also been the team's primary catcher for much of the year since Amaya hit the injured list on May 25. The guy has stepped up in a huge way to solidify the Cubs pitching staff and catching duties.

9. Brad Keller

If you told me that Brad Keller would be the Cubs' most effective reliever before the 2025 season began, I would have hit you in the face. Nobody saw the career turnaround this guy is enjoying after years of struggling as a starter and battling injuries in the Kansas City Royals system.

The Cubs took a flier on Keller during spring training, when they inked him to a minor league deal. His performance warranted the Cubs taking a chance on him, even though they could have let him walk when the season began. Thankfully, he's still here and handling the main high-leverage spots outside the ninth inning.

Keller sport a nice 3.21 ERA in 40 appearances this year, with 14 holds, and 40 strikeouts over 42 innings. The numbers would be even better if it weren't for a couple of blowup outins right before the All-Star break, where he surrendered five earned runs to St. Louis and two to the Yankees. But Keller has logged 34 games this year where he did not allow an earned run, all while his fastball is sitting a full thre miles per hour faster than it was from 2022-24. Pretty incredible.

10. Nico Hoerner

It's really hard not to be a Nico Hoerner fan. The guy plays Glove Glove defense at second base, is a superb baserunner and is one of the best contact hitters in the game. The 28-year-old is posting a healthy batting average of .283, and he already has 99 hits on the season. Everything the guy does is just solid.

The newest aspect of Hoerner's game is the fact that he's been one of the most clutch hitters in the league, let alone on the Cubs. Hoerner is currently third in MLB in batting average with runners in scoring position (.396).

Hoerner is just a gamer on the baseball field and he provides incredible value whether its running the bases or fielding a groundball.