3 Chicago Cubs players who are red hot, and 2 who are ice cold

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The Chicago Cubs are rolling right along in their march to their first playoff appearance since 2020. Fresh off a sweep of The San Francisco Giants, who are struggling to secure a Wild Card spot themselves, the Cubs have now won more games than anyone else in the National League with a 34-17 record since July 14th.

A few players are stepping up in a big way, including several young rookies who are eager for their first taste of October baseball. But some of the main players are also struggling. Here are three Cubs players who are hot, and two who are cold.

Hot: Seiya Suzuki

For much of the 2023 season, it looked like Seiya Suzuki was lost. It didn't seem like he was having fun and his production at the plate was much to be desired. This lack of production led to Manager David Ross benching his starting right fielder at the beginning of August to give him a mental reset.

And reset he certainly did because Suzuki has been on arguably the best stretch of his Cubs career since Ross told him to take a seat. Suzuki has even surpassed much of his first half numbers in a much shorter span.

Seiya Suzuki	Games	Batting Avg.	Doubles	Home Runs	RBI's	Runs
1st Half	70	.259	13	7	28	28
2nd half	46	.299	14	9	30	34

Much of this production has come in August and the first week of September and it is coming at the perfect time. Shortstop Dansby Swanson is currently slumping hard and the Cubs have been leaning on Suzuki to drive in runs. It's a great thing to see and exactly what the team was hoping for when they signed him to an $85 million deal nearly two years ago.

Cold: Dansby Swanson

Swanson is going through a rough stretch right now. In his last 30 games, the Cubs' starting shortstop is hitting just .183 with 31 strikeouts and only 3 home runs. It's not fun to watch one of your cornerstones go through this kind of slump, but it shouldn't be unexpected for a guy like Swanson.

This is exactly how Swanson has performed throughout his career, periodically going through red-hot stretches at the plate followed by long slumps. That isn't to say that we should be calling for Swanson's head, because the team absolutely made the right call by signing him this offseason. He is an experienced veteran, a leader in the clubhouse and one of the best defenders in the game right now.

It could be a blessing in disguise that Swanson's bat is cold right now since other guys are picking up the team and Swanson could get hot right when the playoffs are starting.

Hot: Jordan Wicks

Rookie southpaw Jordan Wicks has only made three starts for the Cubs since getting called up in August, but he has been spectacular in his first Major League stint. Notably, Wicks made history in his debut, where he set down 15 straight Pittsburgh Pirates hitters at PNC park.

Wicks hasn't shown signs of slowing down as he's secured wins in each of his three starts. Over 16.2 innings pitched, the 23-year-old has a 2.16 ERA with 13 strikeouts. With Marcus Stroman sidelined and Drew Smyly in the bullpen, Wicks has stepped into the rotation and has so far shown that he can handle the role.

With Wicks' emergence, the Cubs now have three homegrown starters in the rotation and four more in the bullpen. If he can continue his success, Wicks could be a prime example of the organization's ability to successfully develop pitching.

Cold: Jameson Taillon

Just when it looked like Jameson Taillon was turning a corner, he went back to his old ways. The month of July was promising, where Taillon had a 2.67 ERA in 30.1 innings pitched while holding opponents to a .214 batting average. Unfortunately, those handful of games where Taillon looked dominant are few and far between.

Virtually all year, Taillon has struggled with command and he has given up 24 home runs on the season. There are too many instances of Taillon leaving balls in the heart of the plate and he has given up at least one homer in each of his last seven starts.

With three more years on his deal that is worth $68 million, Taillon is gonna need to step it up and start earning his paychecks. With the starting rotation already leaning heavily on young and inexperienced arms, it would be nice if Taillon could show up to give the team a chance to win, especially if he's getting the ball in a playoff game.

Hot: Cody Bellinger

Man what else is there to say about Cody Bellinger besides the Cubs would probably not be in a position to win the NL Central without him. Since returning from his hip injury, Bellinger has been one of the most consistent hitters in baseball. In his last thirty games, Bellinger has a .310/.336/.578 slash line with eight home runs and 34 driven in.

Even after missing an entire month of the season, Bellinger's .319 batting average ranks 5th in MLB while his OPS (.915) and RBIs (86) are 7th and 19th respectively. He has truly been one of the best hitters in Major League Baseball this year and he would probably be in the MVP conversation if it weren't for the hip injury.

The Cubs need to do everything in their power to resign Bellinger and keep his talents at Wrigley Field to be a cornerstone of the next great Cubs team.

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