3 players who have to step up if the Cubs are going to save their season

Nico Hoerner hasn't been the table setter this Cubs team needs

The other half of the Cubs' double-play tandem, Nico Hoerner, has been just as big of a liability offensively as Swanson - despite doing what he's historically done at the plate.

Never a big barrel guy or power presence, Hoerner still possesses some of the most elite bat-to-ball skills in the game today. The problem is it's not hard contact and there's next to no power there. His average exit velo ranks in the bottom 10% of the league and he checks in with an 89 OPS+ on the year.

Still an above-average defender, Hoerner offers a lot. He runs the bases well and is one of the better defenders in the league. But he's making solid contact less than ever before and the numbers bear that out. Again, this isn't a guy who needs to be a powerful force in the three-hole, but he needs to find a better balance between making contact and making hard contact because there have been too many soft balls hit - and they're killing rallies on a regular basis.