3 surprises and 3 disappointments of the Chicago Cubs' first half

It's been an overall tough first half for the Chicago Cubs, so it can feel like there have been more disappointments than surprises. That said, there have been some really nice surprises, so we will look at a balance of both. Here are three nice surprises and three disappointments.

Three Surprises

Shōta Imanaga

The Cubs' lone All-Star representative has exceeded expectations so far. Leading the team in fWAR (2.3), Imanaga has pitched to a 2.97 ERA, 3.27 FIP, 1.1 WHIP, 98 strikeouts, and 16 walks in 17 starts. He was signed out of Japan with the expectation of being a solid middle-of-the-rotation pitcher but was not envisioned to be as efficient as he has been. He is tied for sixth in quality starts (11) in baseball. Yes, he has been bitten by the home run ball more recently (as expected from a flyball pitcher), but he still finished the first half very strong with six shutout innings in Baltimore.

Michael Busch

Jed Hoyer took a bit of a gamble acquiring the former Dodgers prospect, trading away pitching prospect Jackson Ferris to fill an important role on the team. The 26-year-old Busch enters the All-Star break leading the Cubs in wRC+ (132) and hitting .271/.357/.466 with 12 homers and a .823 OPS. He entered the season with just 81 career MLB plate appearances and has become one of the Cubs' most productive hitters. It's worth noting over his last 25 games he is hitting .305/.377/.526, which is great to see after having a bit of a rough patch in May making some counter-adjustments at the plate.

Tyson Miller

The Cubs' bullpen was in desperate need of some help early in the season due to a combination of bad performances and injuries. Miller was brought in on May 14 when he was claimed off waivers from the Seattle Mariners. He was a former Cubs' draft pick in 2016 and has since bounced around the league a bit. In 20 appearances he's pitched to a 1.66 ERA and 0.69 WHIP. He is not overpowering but he has a bit of funk that seems to have helped him so far. One might question if he can sustain this performance as the 3.76 FIP and 7.9 K/9 aren't necessarily ideal for an important reliever, but his first half was a nice surprise in terms of the results.