Six Cubs stars crack ESPN's Top 100. Discover how Pete Crow-Armstrong and Nico Hoerner lead the charge, defying expectations for the 2026 season.
The Chicago Cubs were thoroughly represented on ESPN’s Top 100 players list entering the 2026 season. As one of the best teams in the National League, the Cubs had six players on this top 100 ranking.
Those six Cubs players were Pete Crow-Armstrong (#22), Nico Hoerner (#55), Alex Bregman (#61), Dansby Swanson (#82), Michael Busch (#86), and Seiya Suzuki (#92).
ESPN actually did a pretty nice job ranking the Cubs players heading into the new season. Some players, like Suzuki, Busch, and Bregman, could be moved up a bit in these rankings, but ESPN correctly ranked most of them.
The Cubs’ six selections on ESPN’s top 100 player rankings are tied for the third-most among all teams. Only the Los Angeles Dodgers (eight) and the Philadelphia Phillies (seven) have more representation inside the top 100.
The two most interesting placements on the Cubs side in this ranking are Crow-Armstrong and Hoerner.
Crow-Armstrong will enter the year as the 22nd-best player in baseball, according to ESPN. He finds himself ranked higher than Junior Caminero, Elly De La Cruz, Mookie Betts, Trea Turner, and Logan Webb.
After not being ranked on ESPN’s 2025 top 100 player rankings, Crow-Armstrong’s +78 ranking position is the second-biggest jump from last year. Only Cal Raleigh (+79) had a bigger jump from a season ago.
It is a bit surprising to see Crow-Armstrong ranked this high following his poor second half. The Cubs center fielder only slashed .185/.236/.289 with four home runs, 17 RBI, and six stolen bases across his final 50 games.
However, Jesse Rogers believes another big season could be in store for the 2025 All-Star.
“The baseball world is wondering who the real PCA is,” Rogers wrote. “The easy answer is he's somewhere between who he was in the first half of last season and the second half. Vowing to get on more this season, he will steal 50 bases and hit 20 home runs.”
If Crow-Armstrong is able to reach those numbers while continuing to play elite defense in center field, he deserves a spot inside the top 25. Don’t forget: he was a 6-WAR player during a breakout campaign in 2025.
It’s also nice to see Hoerner get the recognition that he deserves. The Cubs second baseman was completely left off MLB Network’s Top 100 player rankings earlier this offseason, but ESPN has him ranked as the 55th-best player heading into the year.
Hoerner absolutely deserves to be ranked this high by ESPN. He is coming off his best all-around campaign, in which he hit .297 with seven home runs, 61 RBI, 29 stolen bases, and a 6.2 WAR. He also won the second Gold Glove of his career for his play at second base.
Seeing Hoerner being ranked around players like Alejandro Kirk (54th), Rafael Devers (56th), and Logan Gilbert (57th) is the perfect spot for him. He has emerged as one of the top second basemen in the game.