The Chicago Cubs lead their division at the All-Star break, have the second best record in the National League and third-best in MLB. The offense has carried the team through the middle of July, while the bullpen has been strong since April. Several players deserve credit for the team’s success so far in 2025, but these are the two biggest surprises so far this year that have lifted the Cubs toward the top of the league.

Pete Crow-Armstrong

Pete Crow-Armstrong came up to the big leagues at the end of the 2023 season, settled in as the starting center fielder last summer, but it took him a while to adjust to MLB pitching. Most observers thought it would still take some more time before PCA tapped into his offensive potential, which is why he’s having the most surprising 2025 season in MLB.

We’ve always been aware of Crow-Armstrong’s elite defense in the outfield, the chaos he creates when he’s on base, but at 23-years-old PCA has put it all together and is one of the few five-tool players in the sport. Crow-Armstrong has a slash line of .265/.302/.544, with a 133 wRC+ and is tied for the team lead in home runs with 25. He’s second in RBI with 71 and with 27 stolen bases PCA is on pace to become the first 40/40 player in Cubs’ history.

The offensive output from the Cubs’ center fielder has elevated him from good to superstar level in 2025. Crow-Armstrong currently leads the National League with a 4.9 fWAR and his MVP candidacy is the leading reason why the Cubs have taken a giant leap from last season.

This isn’t to say that we should take Kyle Tucker for granted. Yet, fans already expected big things from the star outfielder and he’s delivered top-10 numbers so far in 2025 for the Cubs. However, there weren’t many fans expecting PCA to be this awesome so quick into his MLB career.

Matthew Boyd

Justin Steele underwent season-ending elbow surgery after only starting four games, while Shōta Imanaga missed six weeks because of a hamstring strain and Jameson Taillon is expected to miss more than a month with a calf issue. Yet, despite the major injuries to the rotation the Cubs have had one pitcher step up and not only has Matthew Boyd turned in a career year so far, the left-hander is pitching like an ace.

Boyd was selected to his first All-Star Game this year and it’s very much deserved as the 34-year-old pitcher has a 2.34 ERA in 19 starts so far in 2025. He only trails Paul Skenes in the National League atop the ERA leaderboard and has 13 quality starts, which ranks third-most in the NL.

His last start against the Yankees was a masterpiece as Boyd tossed eight shutout innings on Saturday, guiding the Cubs to a 5-2 win. Boyd has only allowed more than three earned runs one time in 19 starts, coming on May 23, against the Cincinnati Reds. He pitched four innings in that game and gave up four earned runs. Since then, Boyd has a 1.28 ERA in nine starts and has not surrendered more than two runs in any of those games.

An incredible first-half performance by Boyd, who signed a two-year deal this past offseason after only pitching in eight games in 2024 with the Cleveland Guardians in the regular season. The veteran has battled back from injuries that set him back during the prime years of his career and is now benefiting from his hard work.

Plus, you gotta love how much Boyd enjoys being a player for the Cubs.