Giving Chicago Cubs position players first half grades

The Chicago Cubs position players have had an interesting, yet predictable, start to the 2023 season. Jed Hoyer built a roster with an eye on defense and a solid ability getting on base, but not a lot of slug. So far the numbers have pretty much reflected that. In the first half, the Cubs were 6th out of 15th in the National League in OBP (.325), 13th in the NL in slugging percentage (.369), and fifth in Defensive Runs Saved (14 DRS).

So how can we break down and grade the individual performances? We will go through them and give them letter grades. This will be organized by infielders, outfielders, and bench/utility/catchers. Grades will be given to players who have appeared in at least 20 games.

1. Infielders

Dansby Swanson: B+

Swanson's efforts in his first year as a Cub have earned him an All-Star nod. His 2.9 fWAR is fourth-best in all of baseball among shortstops, and by Def (FanGraphs) he is the second-most valuable defensive shortstop in baseball just behind Wander Franco. There is no doubt that the bat has cooled a bit since his red-hot start, but he still sports a .343 OBP and .409 slugging with 10 homers. Overall very nice stuff from Swanson.

Nico Hoerner: B

Like Swanson, Hoerner has played exceptional defense. He is by Def he is the second-most valuable defender at second in all of baseball behind Marcus Semien. Hitting wise he has been the team's best RBI hitter, leading the team with 45. He has been good at finding grass with guys in scoring position. He is in a bit of a July funk, with five hits in nine games so far, which has his slash at .271/.321/.376. However, throughout most of the season he has been in the .280-.290 range so there's plenty of reason to think he will work out of it.

Trey Mancini: F

Unfortunately, it's been a brutal ride for Mancini in a Cubs uniform. He sports a dreadful -0.7 fWAR with a 78 wRC+ and -4 DRS as he has struggled to hit and field. The veteran first baseman/outfielder in his prime with the Orioles was a legit offensive producer who could hit 20-30 home runs and is a very likable guy. It just might be a case of him being over the hill which is a real bummer.

Nick Madrigal: B-

"Nicky Two Strikes" got hurt at a bad time. He was hitting .328/.409/.466 with a home run(!)since he returned from Iowa on June 9th. Not to mention he has actually played a pretty respectable third base for a guy who has never done it before. He is hitting .278 on the year. His value has grown greatly since coming back and bringing up what was initially a low grade.

Patrick Wisdom: D+

Early in the year, he was doing very well. In April he hit 10 home runs with a .965 OPS in 25 games. Since then he's hitting .136/.239/.282 with 52 strikeouts over his last 36 games. It has been brutal for him since the start of May. He does not get an F because the first month was so productive and still has his season slugging at .451, but for his sake, he hopefully will turn it around because it's been going all in the wrong direction. The Cubs will be evaluating third base harder as we go forward.

Eric Hosmer: F

Feels like it was another season ago Hosmer was a Cub. He was a placeholder at the league minimum that did not last due to a 67 wRC+, 57% groundball rate, and -0.4 fWAR. Hosmer was once a Gold Glover, All-Star, and World Series champion who had a very nice career, but he has been over that hill for a while now.

Matt Mervis: Incomplete

The slugging prospect's first go-around in the MLB was...not particularly pretty. However, he was up for a short time and is working through it in Iowa right now. Just too early for me to give him a grade for a first brief stint in the Majors.

2. Outfielders

Ian Happ: C

Here are the things Happ has been good at this year, getting on base (.377) and defense (2 DRS, 1.4 UZR). The defense has not been Gold Glove-caliber like last year, but it's still been okay, while the OBP is legit really good. The problem is he is not slugging and producing runs like a 3-4 hitter should be. He is also hitting .226 with a .359 slugging since May 1st. Overall on the year he is hitting .247/.377/.386 with a .763 OPS and seven homers. The .247 average would not be as big of a deal if he was slugging over .400 and had double-digit homers. Hopefully, the second half brings a fresher bat and production goes back up.

Seiya Suzuki: C

Kind of a similar deal with Happ. The OBP is pretty good at .342 but the power and run production has not been to the level we had hoped. Similar to last year, he is VERY streaky. He was hitting very well around Memorial Day (.319/.417/.560 in May) but is hitting just .211/.282/.292 since. Some hard-hit balls...but on the ground not getting any lift. A season of .259/.342/.405 and 105 wRC+ in a vacuum is not bad, but the Cubs expect more. Hopefully, his last game at Yankee Stadium with a home run and a game-winning sac fly RBI is a sign of better things to come.

Cody Bellinger: A

The dude has been awesome. He is so smooth and trustworthy in centerfield and enters the All-Star break with a .298/.355/.491 slash and 126 wRC+. Belli ended the first half on a tear, hitting .471 with two doubles and two home runs over his past nine games. There have already been calls to extend him to be part of the future. Hopefully, he keeps it up because he has been a joy to watch in a Cubs uniform.

Mike Tauchman: B

Yeah, the numbers have really slipped lately, but Tauchman has come up with some big hits and was not a guy expected to be more than organizational depth. He very well could fade into oblivion by August, but he has provided more than we could have possibly expected. For that he deserves credit.