Shota Imanaga’s dominant mound presence and Nico Hoerner’s elite defensive metrics have Chicago eyeing multiple All-MLB honors for the first time in the franchise’s history.
The Chicago Cubs could have some representation on the All-MLB teams once the regular season concludes in late September.
Every year, MLB experts and fans vote for the best players from that season. Panel experts account for 50% of the vote, while fans account for the other 50%. It’s a way for fans and experts to come together to determine the top players each year.
Last season, the Cubs had only one player voted onto the All-MLB teams. Pete Crow-Armstrong was a part of the outfielder group on the All-MLB Second Team and was much deserving following a breakout campaign.
The North Siders haven’t had much representation on these All-MLB teams since it became a thing in 2019.
Yu Darvish (2020 First Team) and Crow-Armstrong (2025 Second Team) are the only two Cubs players to be selected to an All-MLB team. Chicago had no players selected in 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.
But MLB.com believes two Cubs players will be selected to an All-MLB team this season. A panel of MLB experts predicted which players will be a part of the All-MLB First Team and All-MLB Second Team by the end of the year.
They predicted that both Nico Hoerner and Shota Imanaga would be selected to an All-MLB team for the first time in their careers. Both Hoerner and Imanaga were voted as part of the All-MLB Second Team.
It’s obviously so early in the season to be talking about All-MLB teams. However, both Hoerner and Imanaga have certainly played their way into this conversation after the first eight weeks of the regular season.
Although Hoerner has cooled off significantly at the plate since the beginning of the season, he has still been one of the most impactful second basemen in the game.
The Cubs infielder is batting .258 with four home runs, 29 RBI, and nine stolen bases across 47 games and continues to play Gold Glove defense at second base. He ranks tied for first in Runs Prevented (6), Outs Above Average (8), and Fielding Run Value (7) among all second basemen. His 1.9 WAR is also the fourth-highest at the position.
Then, there’s Imanaga, who has been such a consistent arm in the Cubs' rotation in the early going. Outside of an eight-run clunker against the Brewers on Monday night, the southpaw has been nails on the mound.
Imanaga currently owns a 3.38 ERA and 61 strikeouts across 58 ⅔ innings pitched. He has delivered a quality start in six of his last eight outings and ranks in the upper half of the league in chase rate (39%), whiff rate (30.6%), and strikeout rate (26%).
If Hoerner and Imanaga continue performing the way they have to start the season, there’s a strong chance both players find themselves on one of the All-MLB teams by the end of the year.
Crow-Armstrong and Daniel Palencia also received votes at their respective positions in this recent poll.
