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

Three Disappointments

Dansby Swanson

Arguably the biggest disappointment of the first half, considering he is the highest-paid player on the team. While his defense is still Gold Glove-caliber, the offense has not been there. In the first half, he hit just .212/.282/.350 with a .632 OPS and 79 wRC+. The home run production (9) is not bad for him but the overall production for a $26 million player is just not where we want it to be. He did seem to show some signs of improvement in the final few games of the first half, so hopefully, that's a good sign his bat will come around.

Adbert Alzolay

After having a very solid run as the Cubs closer last year, Alzolay had a rough go to start 2024 before a significant injury sidelined him for the time being (60-day IL). When he pitched, he blew five of nine saves, giving up six home runs and pitching to a 4.67 ERA, 7.37 FIP and 1.44 WHIP in 17.1 innings. He is not the only reliever to struggle, but the importance of the closer role magnifies the struggles. Those early blown games were just a few of many to come for the Cubs in the first half of the season.

Miguel Amaya

The sophomore catcher has had a rough go so far in 2024. His bat has struggled to produce, hitting .201/.266/.288 with a 59 wRC+. The framing behind the plate (-0.1 FRM) and overall defense (-2 Statcast Fielding Run Value) haven't been great either. His struggles have been magnified by the fact that the catching position on the Cubs overall has struggled this year, which had seen veteran Yan Gomes being DFA'ed earlier this year. Amaya did take some time to work on things recently, and he finished the first half with a very good series in St. Louis, so hopefully that is a good sign for him. Even Kyle Hendricks complimented his work behind the plate in his last start. Amaya finding his way in the second half would be huge.