The Chicago Cubs fell short of a deep postseason run after the San Diego Padres swept them in the National League Wild Card Round. 

Despite the short postseason exit, the Cubs still had plenty of players who exceeded expectations. There are three players in particular who really surprised fans throughout this season. These players were the team’s most impressive players of the 2026 campaign. 

Here are the three most impressive Cubs players from this year. 

No one expected Pete Crow-Armstrong to have the season that he had. After hitting .247 with 31 home runs, 37 doubles, 95 RBI, and 35 stolen bases across 157 games in 2025, Crow-Armstrong emerged as a superstar in 2026. 

The eventual National League MVP slashed .280/.372/.570 with 45 home runs, 31 doubles, eight triples, 107 RBI, and 41 stolen bases across 162 games. Crow-Armstrong led all players in WAR following a dominant offensive season and a phenomenal defensive season. 

Crow-Armstrong ranked in the 100th percentile in batting run value, 99th percentile in baserunning value, and 100th percentile in fielding run value this year. Ranking in at least the 99th percentile in all these categories is almost unheard in today’s game. 

Ben Brown’s season was cut short due to a neck injury, but the Cubs appear to have a potential ace on their hands for the future. The young right-hander posted a 1.85 ERA, 0.941 WHIP, and 65 strikeouts over 68 innings this season. 

Brown was incredible for the Cubs before his injury in mid-June. He had a 1.70 ERA across eight starts after starting the season in the bullpen and allowed one run or fewer in six of those eight outings. Then, his neck injury sidelined him for the rest of the season. 

The limited innings shouldn’t take away from the fact that Brown was having an impressive season in 2026. He was missing bats at a solid clip and was establishing himself as a top-of-the-line starting pitcher. 

Alex Bregman got off to a poor start to begin his Cubs career. The veteran third baseman slashed just .235/.333/.338 with seven home runs, 14 doubles, and 35 RBI in his first 92 games. The front office wasn’t paying him all that money to post subpar offensive numbers. 

Then, something clicked. 

Bregman slashed .308/.388/.648 with 21 home runs, 19 doubles, one triple, and 58 RBI over the final 63 games. His strong numbers down the stretch helped turn his 2026 season from ugly to impressive. He finished with his most home runs in a season since 2019 (28) and drove in 93 runs across 155 games.