PCA, Tucker and more: Breaking down the Cubs’ 2025 All-Star contenders |
Anthony Pasquale
· · 4 hours ago
It’s early June, which means there is a little over a month to go before the All-Star game this season in Atlanta. As a result, MLB has opened up its ballots for All-Star voting, and there are plenty of Cubs with a chance to represent Chicago at this year’s Midsummer Classic.
So let’s break down some of the candidacies the Cubs have to offer: Pete Crow-Armstrong As close to a slam dunk as slam dunks get, Pete Crow-Armstrong is likely to not only make the All-Star game but potentially even start for the National League. The best defensive center fielder in the NL also happens to lead all of baseball in stolen bases…pretty solid. That doesn’t even factor in the fact that he is tied for 5th in the NL in home runs and is tied for third in all of baseball for most runs driven in. His production, in all phases of the sport, is off the charts — and he is second in the National League in WAR through June 5th. Kyle Tucker Another interesting candidate in the outfield is Kyle Tucker. In his first few months as a Cub, Tucker has already posted a WAR of nearly 3.0. After three straight AL All-Star selections, Tucker is poised to earn his first nod in the NL. The 28-year-old was off to a torrid start to the season, battled a May slump, and has posted numbers that rank near the tops in the NL this year. Already double-digit home runs and steals for Tucker, as well as an OPS north of .900, make him an All-Star by most measurements. If it weren’t for Corbin Carroll and Fernando Tatis Jr. enjoying strong seasons, Tucker—like PCA would be a slam dunk to start the ASG. However, his numbers alone should be enough to earn him a trip to Atlanta; it’s up to the fans if he will be a starter. Seiya Suzuki Suzuki has flown under the radar during his career as a Chicago Cub. Consistently one of the league’s most productive hitters since he has been in MLB, Suzuki has never gotten the recognition that some of his peers have. This year, Suzuki is off to his best start yet, on a Cubs team that leads the National League. With Tucker’s addition, Suzuki has been a designated hitter primarily, which is where you can find him on this year’s ballot. Suzuki already has 14 home runs on the young season, and is in the top 3 in all of MLB in RBI. Suzuki’s downfall is that Shohei Ohtani is a designated hitter and is almost assured to start the game due to the massive following a global superstar like Ohtani has, not to mention he leads the NL with 23 home runs of his own. Also near the top of that home runs list is former Cub Kyle Schwarber, who is likely to pull some votes from Suzuki’s corner. It will likely be based on numbers alone, rather than a fan vote, but Suzuki is undoubtedly deserving of his first All-Star selection. Nico Hoerner Like Suzuki, Hoerner is not typically mentioned when listing the league’s top second basemen, although he absolutely should be. Hoerner has a batting average that has toggled near .300 all season while playing the top defense in MLB at the position, according to DRS and other metrics. Plus, Hoerner has 13 stolen bases and has been one of the league’s most productive hitters with runners on base. Of all the second basemen on the NL ballot, only two players have a better batting average than Hoerner (Ketel Marte and Brendan Donovan) and have the second most RBI of all NL second basemen (Tommy Edman). I definitely would not be surprised if Hoerner earns his first career All-Star bid this season. Dansby Swanson Potentially a long shot with players like Mookie Betts, Francisco Lindor, and Elly De La Cruz sharing the position, but Swanson has been productive in year three with the Cubs. Swanson is a world-class defender, but has been hitting home runs at a higher clip in 2025. Only De La Cruz and Lindor have more long balls than all National League shortstops in 2025. Those two, and Geraldo Perdomo, are the only players with more runs knocked in on the season than Swanson. Since he is a fan favorite, Swanson may get some attention on the ballot this year. Carson Kelly Hear me out. The only catcher on the NL ballot that is undisputedly having a better season than Carson Kelly is Will Smith, who is likely to be the NL starter in the All-Star game. Aside from that, Kelly’s nine homers and 24 RBIs hold up nicely against the rest of the competition. Only one catcher (Hunter Goodman) has more home runs, and only three (Goodman, Smith, and William Contreras) have more runs knocked in, even though Kelly has fewer appearances. This one may be unlikely, but it would not be completely shocking if the Carson Kelly train gains some All-Star steam. Michael Busch Busch has been good so far in 2025, but since he splits time at first at times with Justin Turner, Busch doesn’t have the bulk of numbers that most first basemen have. Pete Alonso and Freddie Freeman are both early-season MVP candidates at the position, and clear Busch’s numbers offensively. Busch’s numbers are on par with Bryce Harper, Josh Naylor, and Matt Olson — all stars in their own right — but not quite at the level that would be All-Star worthy this season. Shota Imanaga Fans never vote on pitchers, but Shota Imanaga was certainly off to another All-Star worthy start to the season before his injury. Aside from Imanaga, the Cubs don’t have many good candidates for All-Stars on the mound. The Cubs have had a strong bullpen, but no high-leverage relievers are putting up the numbers worthy of an all-star selection in the NL. It feels like a good chance the Cubs will have 3-4 All-Stars in 2025, but there is certainly a case to be made for several Cubs players who have contributed to the team's best start since 2016.
