Chicago Cubs: Grading the players on their first half performances

With the first half of the Chicago Cubs season in the books, there is plenty to evaluate on a team that has been both good and incredibly frustrating.

The first half of the 2019 season came to an end on the South Side this past Sunday as the Chicago Cubs lost to the crosstown White Sox 3-1, finishing their final two-game series with a one-one split. Bad news? They fell to 47-43. Good news? They are in first place entering the All-Star break.

One word to describe the first half could certainly be “frustrating.” Being only four games above .500 after an incredibly mediocre run the past month and a half has prevented the Cubs of taking advantage of a struggling NL Central. A few more wins, and they have a healthy lead. Sadly it has been a festival of mediocrity in the division, and hopes of a second-half surge will be the story going into this weekend.

So how about the key players themselves? How have they held up so far this season? Let’s take a look at some grades given to said key players. Note guys like Craig Kimbrel, Adbert Alzolay, Robel Garcia, Taylor Davis or Jim Adduci who have barely played will not be included. Also, these grades will be letter-based (A, B, C, D, F).