Cubs Climb In MLB Power Rankings

Cubs Climb 2026 MLB Power Rankings: 5 Reasons Behind the Surge The Cubs sat 14th in most power rankings on Memorial Day. Three weeks later they're knocking on the top eight. Anyone who's followed this franchise for more than a season knows better than to book parade routes in June. But the movement is real.

The underlying numbers back it up. And for the first time in a while, the climb doesn't feel like a mirage. What changed? A lot.

Some of it was predictable. Some of it wasn't. Let's break down why Chicago has moved up the board — and whether it sticks. What the Power Rankings Actually Measure Power rankings aren't standings.

They're not projections either. Most major outlets — ESPN, The Athletic, FanGraphs, Baseball Reference — blend current record, run differential, strength of schedule, and some flavor of playoff odds or expected win-loss. The weight varies. The Athletic leans heavily on their ELO model.

ESPN's panel votes. FanGraphs uses BaseRuns and playoff probability. The Cubs' rise reflects improvement across most* of those inputs. Not all.

Their schedule has softened slightly since early June. But their run differential has swung from minus-12 to plus-18 in a month. That's not schedule. That's performance.

The difference between "hot streak" and "real improvement" A hot streak is three walk-off wins against the Marlins. Real improvement is the starting rotation posting a 2.87 ERA over 14 starts while the lineup cuts its chase rate by four percentage points. The Cubs have done both. One matters more for October.

The other makes for better highlights. Why This Matters Beyond the Standings Power rankings drive narratives. Narratives drive ticket sales, trade deadline apply, and front office confidence. When a team cracks the top ten in July, the conversation shifts from "should they sell?

" to "what do they need to buy? " That's a real thing. Jed Hoyer's phone rings more often when the perception changes. It also matters for the players.

Young guys like Pete Crow-Armstrong and Matt Shaw play looser when the external noise isn't "rebuilding. " Veterans like Dansby Swanson and Kyle Tucker feed off meaningful August baseball. The psychological component is real, even if it doesn't show up in WAR. The schedule makers didn't do them favors Chicago opened 2026 with 17 of their first 24 against playoff-caliber teams from 2025.

Dodgers. Phillies. Braves. Brewers twice.

They went 11-13 in that stretch. Since then? A steady diet of Nationals, Rockies, White Sox, and a Marlins series that felt like a bye week. The rankings punished them for the early gauntlet.

Now they're rewarding the feast. Both reactions are slightly wrong. The truth lives in between. How the Cubs Actually Climbed This isn't one thing.

It's five things happening at once. For this reason, it feels sustainable — or at least more sustainable than a typical June surge. 1. The rotation stabilized around three legitimate arms Shota Imanaga was the Opening Day starter for a reason.

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He's been as advertised: 3.02 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, elite command, and a changeup that plays up two grades because of his fastball ride. He's the anchor. Justin Steele missed April with a lat issue. Since returning May 12, he's thrown 48 innings with a 2.44 ERA and 52 strikeouts against 11 walks.

The velocity is back. The slider is sharper. He looks like the 2023 version, not the 2024 version. And then there's Javier Assad.

Nobody — and I mean nobody — had Assad as a top-three starter in March. He opened the year in the bullpen. An injury to Jordan Wicks forced him into the rotation May 3. Since then: 41 innings, 2.19 ERA, 0.95 WHIP.

He's not overpowering. He's just good*. Four pitches. Both sides of the plate.

Changes speeds like a veteran. The underlying metrics (3.38 xERA, 3.12 FIP) suggest it's not smoke and mirrors. Three starters you trust every fifth day changes everything. The bullpen stays fresh.

The offense plays with a lead more often. The defense doesn't press. 2. The lineup found a rhythm â€" and a leadoff hitter Pete Crow-Armstrong was hitting.

198 on May 20. Since May 21:. 312/. 378/.

504 with 14 steals in 16 attempts. He's playing Gold Glove defense in center. He's creating chaos on the bases. He's the leadoff hitter this team has lacked since Dexter Fowler.

Behind him, the order makes sense now. Swanson hitting second gives you on-base and speed. Tucker third gives you power and patience. Michael Busch fourth gives you lefty thump.

Seiya Suzuki fifth gives you professional at-bats. Matt Shaw sixth gives you rookie pop. Miguel Amaya and Nico Hoerner round it out with contact and glove. There are no automatic outs.

That's rare. Even the 2016 team had black holes at catcher and second base for stretches. This lineup is deep*. 3.

The bullpen stopped melting down April and early May: 4.87 ERA, 14 blown saves, 5.4 BB/9. Since May 25: 2.31 ERA, 3 blown saves, 2.8 BB/9. The personnel didn't change much. Porter Hodge got healthy.

Julian Merryweather found his slider. Adbert Alzolay simplified his approach — fastball/slider, attack the zone, stop nibbling. Mark Leiter Jr. has been the same reliable lefty specialist he's always been.

The biggest difference? The starters going deeper. When your rotation averages 5.2 innings, the bullpen covers 3.1. When they average 6.1, it covers 2.2.

That's one fewer high-put to work inning per night. Over a month, that's 30 innings saved. The arms stay fresh. The take advantage of matches the talent.

4. Defense turned into a weapon Crow-Armstrong in center. Hoerner at second. Swanson at short.

Shaw at third.