Chicago Cubs' Promising Young Trio Top Storyline to Watch Entering Season

The Chicago Cubs have plenty of storylines to watch, but the development of these three players could be the most significant.

Mar 16, 2025; Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan; Chicago Cubs third baseman Matt Shaw (6) hits an RBI single against the Yomiuri Giants during the fifth inning at Tokyo Dome. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The Chicago Cubs have started off the 2025 campaign against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Japan, and the team will be hoping to make an early statement. 

This winter, the Cubs were able to have one of their best offseasons in quite some time. Even though the franchise reduced their payroll, they improved in multiple areas and have some very talented veterans in the mix now. 

For the last few years, Chicago has been building up one of the best farm systems in baseball. That young talent has either been used to improve their roster or is in the Majors performing at this point. 

Due to the great offseason, the team will have some high expectations to live up to, and they will be relying on some young players to keep getting better and for some to emerge. 

Jim Bowden of The Athletic (paid subscription required) recently spoke about the biggest storyline for the Cubs this season being the performance of their talented trio of young hitters in the lineup. 

“The development of the trio of young players at the bottom of their lineup: center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, catcher Miguel Amaya, and third baseman Matt Shaw, who should be in contention for NL Rookie of the Year thanks to his short, quick stroke, surprising power and ability to create backspin," he wrote.

It is certainly a talented young trio that Chicago has in their lineup. Last year, Crow-Armstrong was able to have a strong rookie campaign. The young outfielder took some lumps, but the Cubs stuck with him despite some struggles at the plate. 

This confidence and patience in him paid dividends in the second half of the year, and he performed very well. 

For their catcher, he saw a nice improvement in his sophomore season. Amaya slashed .232/.288/.357 with eight home runs and 47 RBI in 117 games played. 

The real X-factor in the group will likely be Shaw. Chicago is going to be starting the talented young prospect at third base despite him not playing at all in the Majors yet in his young career. 

In the minors, Shaw was really impressive and he deserves this opportunity. However, for a team that is in a win-now mode, it is risky completely trusting the young third baseman to live up to his potential right away. 

Even though it was a great winter for the Cubs, there is a chance that things could go wrong in 2025. If the young talent on the team stays stagnant or struggles, the batting order might not be all that improved, even with the addition of Kyle Tucker. 

However, if the young talent thrives, the Cubs have the potential to win the National League Central and try to contend with the best in the league.