Which player has been the most valuable to the Chicago Cubs?

The Chicago Cubs have experienced their share of ups and downs in the first half, but these guys stand out as prime performers to this point in the season.

On Sunday afternoon, the Chicago Cubs will close the book on the first half of the 2019 campaign. It hasn’t gone exactly as planned, with the club coming off its first sub-.500 month in over two years in June and locked in a dogfight with literally every other team in the division.

But with this week’s All-Star festivities in Cleveland, Joe Maddon‘s team can put this slow start behind them with their eyes on yet another strong second half. With one game remaining, the Cubs carry a .528 winning percentage – their second-lowest first-half mark in the Maddon era.

The only year where they were worse prior to the Midsummer Classic? 2017, when the team experienced the infamous World Series hangover before roaring back to win a second-straight NL Central crown with a strong first half.

Chicago will enter the second half, at a minimum, four games above .500 – pending the outcome of Sunday’s matchup with the rival White Sox. But that’s likely not going to cut it down the stretch, with all five National League Central division teams separated by a mere four games.

If the Cubs are going to make another second-half run and separate themselves from the pack, they’ll need these first-half standouts to keep up the pace and help lead this team back to October.