The Chicago Cubs are currently a playoff team in the National League, but if they want to become a real threat to win the division and make a deep playoff run, then they need these three players to step up their game in the second half.
Nico Hoerner
The Cubs lost on Opening Day, but fans still came away with happy news on the first day of the season, as the team signed Nico Hoerner to a six-year contract extension. Hoerner responded by leading the Cubs through the middle of April, not only playing his usual gold-glove-level defense at second base, but he was the best overall player on the team. The right-handed hitter woke up on April 18 with a .973 OPS, slashing .342/.420/.553 in 19 games.
Ever since then, Hoerner has been the second-worst-qualified hitter in MLB, posting a 55 wRC+ over his last 75 games. The right-handed hitter has only posted a slash line of .205/.274/.268, and while Hoerner has been viewed as one of the best clutch hitters in the sport, he’s been awful at that too. And I guess he’s actually been almost the same type of hitter since April 18, regardless of situation, because with runners in scoring position, Hoerner has a slash line of .206/.274/.268.
The defense remains rock solid, but the Cubs cannot have close to an automatic out in the lineup for another 2.5 months if they want to make up the gap with the Brewers. It’s been way too long since Hoerner has been a factor for the Cubs on offense.
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Alex Bregman
The veteran third baseman turned it on during the last couple of weeks before the All-Star break, and hopefully Alex Bregman keeps it going in the second half. He’ll continue to bat in the middle of the order, so the Cubs are going to need the version of Bregman since June 30, which leads the Cubs with 14 RBI.
While we weren’t expecting Bregman to be a 30-35 home run hitter this year, there were serious concerns as recently as mid-June over his lack of power in 2026. Bregman was being mocked, getting compared to Nick Madrigal, while other fans were furious over the awful numbers with runners in scoring position.
Overall, Bregman is hitting .241/.336/.359 with nine home runs in 431 plate appearances. With runners in scoring position, he’s only batting an even .200 in 131 chances.
Edward Cabrera
If the Cubs have any hopes of overtaking the Brewers or beating the Dodgers in the playoffs, then they 100% need Edward Cabrera to step up and pitch like the ace-caliber type of pitcher he can be. He has all the tools in the bag, but even before the injury, he was a big disappointment in the starting rotation.
The Cubs invested their top prospect at the time in order to acquire Cabrera, and while his years of team control factored into the calculus, they obviously believed in his ceiling. He hasn’t gotten close to it and has regressed from his breakout 2025 season with the Miami Marlins. Cabrera is currently on the injured list, sidelined with a hamstring strain, with mid-August circled as his return timeline.
You need great pitching to win in October, and even if the Cubs pull off a trade for another starter, their chances of winning big may ride on whether or not Cabrera can get it back together following his frustrating first half.
