5 Chicago Cubs players the fanbase is losing patience with during the first half

To say the 2023 season has not gone well for the Chicago Cubs is a massive understatement. It's not like anyone thought that the team would be running away with the NL Central at this point, but being 9 games below .500 wasn't really on anybody's radar either. We're almost at the halfway point and if the Cubs don't make a convincing push soon, another selloff at the August 1st trade deadline seems imminent. There have been plenty of players underperforming but here is the recent batch of guys that the fanbase is starting to lose patience with.

1. Trey Mancini

Brought in to split time at first base and designated hitter last offseason, Trey Mancini was supposed to bring some power to a lineup that desperately needs it. But Mancini has struggled to provide much value in that department, with just 4 home runs and 7 doubles on the year. He has a wRC+ of 78, which is 22 points below the league average, and a -0.7 WAR. With the departure of Eric Hosmer and the rookie struggles of Matt Mervis, Mancini is the only logical choice to play at first base regularly and he is not doing well with that assignment.

Not only is he having a power drought but Mancini's general production at the plate has been ugly. His slash line currently sits at .236/.302/.345 and he is striking out 28% of the time which is near the bottom of the league. If the Cubs want to turn things around, Mancini returning to a version of himself that resembles his years in Baltimore would be a much-welcome occurrence.

2. Hayden Wesneski

Hayden Wesneski looked like he was going to be a solid starting pitcher for the Cubs going into this year. He won the fifth starter job after a great Spring Training, but now the 25-year-old is sporting a 5.33 ERA in 50 innings. His last handful of starts have not been very convincing as he has failed to make it to the sixth inning since May 7th and his latest game against the San Francisco Giants saw Wesneski give up 5 runs in just 3 innings. The young pitcher has simply failed to be sharp on a consistent basis and he routinely allows a lot of traffic on the base paths.

With fellow starters like Marcus Stroman, Kyle Hendricks, and Drew Smyly drawing trade interest, Wesneski may have the rest of the season to figure things out. If the Cubs keep struggling to win games, a guy like Wesneski could have the chance to work out his issues at the major league level and hopefully gain the experience he needs to become a better starter in the future.

4. Tucker Barnhart

Former long-time Cincinnati Reds catcher Tucker Barnhart was never a great hitter, but he is taking things to a new low with the Cubs this year. In 78 plate appearances, Barnhart has a .162 batting average, 4 RBIs, 1 home run, and a laughable wRC+ of 27. He was not brought aboard to be a difference-maker at the plate, but those numbers are unbelievably bad.

And it's not like he's an incredible influence on the pitching staff either. Even though Barnhart has a player option for next season, I would opt to make Miguel Amaya the everyday catcher with Yan Gomes as his backup. That would be the right decision for the future of this team in my opinion.

5. Matt Mervis

After mashing his way to the big leagues and effectively earning Eric Hosmer's spot on the roster, first baseman Matt Mervis has unfortunately been just as bad as Hosmer was at the plate. He is striking out at a 33.3% clip, owns a wRC+ of 46 and his slash line is .165/.237/.294. Mervis also has just 3 big league home runs and 10 RBIs this year. The silver lining is that Mervis seems more than capable of playing good defense at first base. But he will need to make major adjustments at the plate in order to carve out his big-league career though. For his sake, it would be wise to make these adjustments sooner rather than later.

More Chicago Cubs News