Ohtani and Crow-Armstrong’s MVP Battle Highlights 11 Bold Cubs Predictions

Traditionally speaking, come the second half of the MLB season, baseball pundits and Chicago Cubs fans alike are doling out blame for another sub-.500 first half.

Or maybe they’re watching in horror as the Cardinals or the Brewers awaken from their early-summer slumber and obliterate Chicago’s 1.5-game NL Central lead.

Or maybe they’re already discussing potential managerial replacements, or mapping out some utterly unrealistic off-season trade scenarios, or praying there’s some phenom on the Knoxville Smokies who can make the team relevant two or three years down the line.

But not this year.

No, here in the summer of 2025, the North Siders barrel towards August with 60-42 record (.588), tied with the 2016 Cubs for the most wins in modern franchise history after 102 games.

If you’ll recall, the 2016 Cubs won the World Series. So there’s that.

Point being, I don’t have to come up with any fake trades, or write ten listicles breaking down ten possible successors for Craig Counsell, or put together weekly mock college drafts.

Nope, here in 2025, I get to make some over-the-top prognostications as to how, when, and where this magical (to this point) season will land.

So hey, Chicago, what do you say? Fantasy Sports On SI's bold predictions are gonna drop today.

1) Two Cubs Will Finish the Season With 40-Plus Home Runs

Pete Crow-Armstrong and Seiya Suzuki wrapped up the season’s first half with 25 dingers apiece, tying them for sixth in MLB. Both have been remarkably durable—they’ve only missed a combined five games—so another 15 jacks for each seems like it’ll be, dare I say it, cake.

Fantasy Spin: Nobody thought the Cubs would be a repository of power stats, but here we are. PCA and Seiya are plug-and-play DFS options, and will be for the remainder of the 2025 campaign.

2) No Cub Will Finish the Season With a .300-Plus Batting Average

The Cubs can score—their +117 run differential leads the Majors—but they’re not the kind of team that stacks up single after single, as borne out by the fact that, in terms of batting average, their top hitters are Michael Busch, Nico Hoerner, and Kyle Tucker, who clock in, respectively, at .284, .286, and .275.

Of the three, Tucker has the best shot of going on a bonkers hitting streak, but a 25-point leap would be a stretch.

Fantasy Spin: The averages aren't there, but the diversity is, so don't be afraid to roster a Cub hitter on your DFS squad.

3) Kyle Tucker Will Go On a Late-Season Heater and Set Three Career-Highs

Tucker’s best home run seasons? He parked 30 in both 2021 and 2022.

Tucker’s best stolen base season? In 2023, he swiped 30.

Tucker’s best RBI season? We’re talking 2023 again, when he racked up 112.

This season, the first-year Cub has 18 round-trippers, 23 steals, and 57 ribbies. The aforementioned predicted heater will make those previous career-bests go bye-bye.

Fantasy Spin: In DFS-world, Tucker tends to be priced a bit too high...but that could lead to low ownership, which could lead to a plus result.

4) Pete Crow-Armstrong Will Lead the Cubs Just Two Major Offensive Categories

As of this writing, PCA tops the Cubs’ stat sheet in total bases (220), home runs (27), doubles (25), stolen bases (28), slugging percentage (.560), and WAR (5.9).

But Suzuki, Tucker, and even Nico Hoerner are breathing down his neck in multiple categories, so we'll give him stolen bases and WAR. And that's it.

But if the Cubs take the Central, do you think he'll care? Yeah, me neither.

Fantasy Spin: Despite his epic season, PCA isn't the best fantasy option in the world, if only because of his price tag. Unless he goes into a slump and his salary takes a tumble, I'd fade him in DFS.

5) PCA Will Finish Top-Two In National League Most Valuable Player Voting

Barring a disastrous second half, Shohei Ohtani, per usual, has the NL MVP sewn up.

Or does he?

When it comes to MVP voting, the general rule of thumb is, “Best player on the best team,” and I know Ohtani’s Los Angeles Dodgers are currently third in the National League, 1.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers.

If the Cubs can finish the year, with the NL's best record and, say, wrap things up three games ahead of the Dodgers, MVP voters will have to reconsider their no-brainer Ohtani nod.

They probably won’t. But they should.

Anyhoobs, one way or another, Ohtani and PCA will finish one-two. Which order remains to be seen.

Fantasy Spin: See Bold Prediction #4. And, breaking news, Ohtani is a fantasy beast.

6) Shota Imanaga Will Lose Just Three or Fewer Games Over the Remainder of the Season

The Cubs were so whatever last season that it’s all but forgotten that in 2024, Shota dropped one of the finest campaigns in the franchise’s recent history, the most impressive feats being his cray-cray early-season and late-season W streaks.

The then-rookie won both his first six and his final six starts of the campaign, so we know he has the focus, the chops, and the stuff to go on a lengthy undefeated run.

Having thrown a mere 68 innings in the first half, Shota will be at full strength through September and (hopefully) beyond, thus able to (relatively) easily double his first-half win total of six.

Fantasy Spin: I'm a big-time Shota truther, and if he wasn't on my fantasy team—which he is—I'd move heaven and earth to acquire him. He could be a league winner.

7) Matthew Boyd Will Finish 2025 Ranked Top-20 In Strikeouts

With half of the season remaining, the 34-year-old already notched a career-high in wins (11)—for that matter, this is the first time in his MLB life he’s hit double-digits in dubs.

The southpaw has whiffed 108 batters, placing him 35th in the league, just 10 punchouts behind 23rd-ranked Merrill Kelly

In his last four starts, Boyd managed 26 strikeouts in 27 innings, and if he can keep up that near-elite pace, leapfrogging the likes of Yamamoto, Chris Sale, Jacob deGrom, and Jack Flaherty—and even climbing into even the top-15—isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

Jumping over K leader Garrett Crochet (165) might be a stretch. But we can dream, can’t we?

Fantasy Spin: Boyd has been all but unittable in his last four outings, allowing 16 hits and two earned runs. If you picked him up off of the waiver wire in April or May, you're a lucky, lucky fantasy player.

8) Two Cubs Starters Will Receive Cy Young Votes

ESPN’s eternally fun Cy Young Predictor currently gives Boyd the fifth-best shot at bringing the award back to Wrigley Field for the first time since Jake Arrieta won it ten years ago. So he’s a lock to get at least one nod from one writer. At least.

But as noted, Shota might not lose another game ever, so howzabout for the sake of argument, we say he’ll go 8-1 over the remainder of the season, which’ll give him a final record of 14-4. And if Shota can keep maintain his ERA and WHIP (2.65 and 0.93, respectively), welp, that’ll earn him a vote or two. Or ten.

Fantasy Spin: See: Bold predictions #6 and #8. These are two quality arms.

9) Two Cubs Position Players Will Win Gold Gloves

PCA and Nico. Next

Fantasy Spin: It's fielding, which is almost as exciting as fantasy football kickers.

10) The Cubs Will Post One Of the Top-Three Best Records In Franchise History, Modern Era

Since divisional play became a thing in 1969, the Cubs have managed just nine 90-plus win seasons, the top three being their 103 victories in 2016, and the 97 they racked up in both 2008 and 2015.

I don’t think they can top or equal 103, but 99 sounds about right.

Fantasy Spin: Reality wins doth not equal fantasy wins. 'Nuff said.

11) And the World Series Trophy Goes To…

Your Chicago Cubs, who will take down the New York Yankees in seven.

Fantasy Spin: See: Bold prediction #10

MLB Mock Trades From Fantasy Sports On SI

Paul Skenes Blockbuster Mock Trade: Cubs Land Pirates Generational Hurler

MLB Mock Blockbuster: New York Yankees Acquire Ryan McMahon, Fix Their Infield Problem

MLB Mock Trade: Arizona Diamondbacks Deal Zac Gallen To Toronto Blue Jays

MLB Mock Trade: Angels Deal Mike Trout To New York Mets For Ronny Mauricio