This Cubs player has quietly emerged as a team MVP in April

The Chicago Cubs’ start to the 2025 season has been one heck of a ride. Following their dramatic come-from-behind win over the Los Angeles Dodgers Tuesday night, they sit at 15-10 on the season and solidly in first place in the NL Central. And one of the most fun things about their start is that just how many contributors have helped the team win games they looked like they were going to lose this year and would almost certainly have lost in years prior.

There’s been a ton of attention on guys like Kyle Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong. The sudden resurgence of Carson Kelly has generated plenty of headlines as well. But there is one Cubs player that has just quietly put his head down and done his job. Michael Busch is truly an unsung MVP for the team in April.

Busch is coming off a fantastic first full year in the big leagues in 2024 but so far he’s looking like he’s going to improve on all of his numbers. He's showing continued growth at the plate and hitting balls harder to the point he ranks fifth in the National League in slugging according to Baseball Savant.

He’s hitting .301 compared to .248 last year and he’s already got five home runs. That puts him right in the middle of the Cubs’ big bashers who have been leaving the yard at a rather prodigious rate.

While he’s struggling a bit on defense so far this season, a once elite defense for Chicago has suddenly seen a team-wide issue pop up that will almost certainly regress to the norm before too long. And while he’s not one of the best defensive players in the game, even at his best, he’s more than serviceable as a first baseman.

What makes Busch one of the real team MVPs in April so far is that his performance takes some of the pressure off players who tend to have more of a spotlight. He’s hitting behind Kyle Tucker and Seiya Suzuki (which explains his low RBI numbers beside those five round trippers) and ahead of a bottom of the order that has been extremely productive (which is why he’s on pace to approach 90 runs scored)

He can both clear and set the table from his cleanup spot while not allowing opposing pitchers to relax. Busch isn't getting the headlines of some of the other Chicago Cubs stars so far this year, but he’s on pace to contend for an All-Star bid and has made a case to be considered the MVP of April.