The Chicago Cubs were pretty awful in the first half in 2012 as they were 33-52. That has them in fifth place in the N.L. Central, 15 games behind the Pirates. Here is a look at the players who made the biggest impacts in the first half of the 2012 season, in my opinion:

Team MVP: Ryan Dempster - 35-year old righty starting pitcher Ryan Dempster missed part of this season due to injury, but he was still the Cubs’ MVP of the first half of the 2012 season. Dempster pitched in 13 games (all starts) for the Cubs so far this year and he is 4-3 with a 1.99 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP. Dempster is going to be prime trade bait in the Cubs’ rebuilding project.

Biggest Surprise: Bryan LaHair - 29-year old lefty swinging 1B/RF Bryan LaHair has proved to be a true late bloomer for the Cubs. LaHair played in 74 games for the Cubs in the first half of the 2012 season and he was 66 of 231 (.286 avg, .883 OPS) with 32 runs scored, 14 homers, 30 RBIs and 1 stolen base. LaHair was picked to the All-Star teams by the players’ vote which should tell you something about him.

Biggest Disappointment: Carlos Marmol & Geovany Soto - 29-year old olds Carlos Marmol and Geovany Soto have been huge disappointments this year for the Cubs. Righty closer Carlos Marmol has been hard to watch this year, due to his utter lack of control. Marmol has pitched in 31 games (0 starts) for the Cubs so far this year and he is 1-2 with 8 saves, a 5.61 ERA and a 1.87 WHIP. Marmol has only given up 20 hits and he has whiffed 33 batters in his first 25 1/3 innings this year, which is impressive but, he has also walked 28 batters and that has caused him a lot of trouble. Righty swinging catcher Geovany Soto has been awful with the bat for the Cubs so far this year. Soto has played in 41 games for the Cubs so far this year and he is 25 of 141 (.177 avg, .597 OPS) with 18 runs scored, 6 homers and 12 RBIs.

The Cubs are 1-2 to start the season thanks to the awful pitching of Kerry Wood and Carlos Marmol. They have combined to go 0-2 with 1 save, a 23.15 ERA and a 5.57 WHIP. The Cubs have a 3.33 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP overall this season due to the solid work of the starting rotation so far this year. Ryan Dempster, Matt Garza and Jeff Samardzija have combined to start the season with a 1-0 record, a 1.61 ERA and a 0.63 WHIP. The Cubs only scored 9 runs in the first series of the year and they hit only .224 with a .593 OPS as a team, and that’s awful. Starlin Castro led the way for the Cubs over the weekend with the bat as he was 5 for 13 (.385 avg, .846 OPS) with 2 runs scored, 1 RBI and 4 stolen bases. Alfonso Soriano was 3 for 9 (.333 avg, .697 OPS) with 2 RBIs and Bryan LaHair was 2 for 5 (.400 avg, 1.200 OPS) with 2 doubles over the weekend. The Cubs are going to host the Milwaukee Brewers the next couple of days.

The Chicago Cubs finished up the first half of the 2011 season with a 37-55 record which has them in 5th place in the N.L. Central, 12 games behind the Cardinals and Brewers. The Cubs are also 17 games behind the Braves in the Wild Card chase. The Cubs are going to be big time sellers at the trade deadline and the second half of the season is likely going to be a very depressing one for the team and it’s fans. Here’s a look at the players who made the biggest impact in the first half of the 2011 season:

Team MVP: 33-year old righty swinging 3B Aramis Ramirez has been the best hitter on the team this year. He has played in 86 games for the Cubs so far this year and he is 99 for 332 (.298 avg, .843 OPS) with 43 runs scored, 15 homers and 51 RBIs. Ramirez has stated that he won’t waive his no-trade clause because he likes playing in Chicago. We’ll see if he changes his tune though with a lot of his buddies on the way out at the end of this month.

Biggest Surprise: 25-year old 2B Darwin Barney snapped up the starting job at 2B in spring training and he has been really solid for the Cubs this year. Barney has played in 75 games for the Cubs so far this year and he is 90 for 294 (.306 avg, .709 OPS) with 40 runs scored, 1 homer, 31 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. The Cubs hope he finishes the 2011 season strongly.

Biggest Disappointment: A lot of Cubs players could fit right here, but I’m going with 25-year old lefty swinging outfielder Tyler Colvin. Colvin looked solid as a rookie in 2010 and he was in line to push Kosuke Fukudome to the bench this year, but that just hasn’t worked out. Colvin has not looked like the same player he was before he got his lung collapsed by a broken bat last year. Colvin has played in 38 games for the Cubs so far this year and he is 10 for 95 (.105 avg, .385 OPS) with 5 runs scored, 2 homers and 8 RBIs.

The Chicago Cubs lost a devastating game yesterday as the Pirates beat closer Carlos Marmol. The Cubs start the 2011 season with a 1-2 record as the Pirates outscored them 14-12 over the weekend. I know it’s very early but this weekend was very disappointing for a team with very high hopes heading into 2011. It’s not the fact that the Cubs are 1-2 to start the year, but, it’s that the Pirates came into Wrigley Field and pushed them around a little bit. The Pirates have not been a decent team since the early 1990’s, so it’s not out of the question to have expected the Cubs to beat them up last weekend. Hopefully the Cubs will get back on the right track this week.

The Chicago Cubs finished the first half of the season with a 39-50 record which has them in 4th place in the N.L. Central, 9.5 games behind the Reds. The Cubs are likely going to be sellers at the trade deadline for the first time in a few years. The Cubs do have some nice surprises but also some big disappointments this year and here’s a closer look at them:

Pleasant Surprises: 24-year old lefty swinging outfielder Tyler Colvin has really stepped up as a rookie for the Cubs. He has played in 80 games for the Cubs this season and he is 47 of 179 (.263 avg, .844 OPS) with 29 runs scored, 12 homers, 32 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Colvin will remain the Cubs’ #4 outfielder unless they can find a new home for Kosuke Fukudome at the trade deadline. The Cubs were so glad to get rid of Milton Bradley over the winter that they took back Carlos Silva with the idea of him being a mop up man in the pen. But he won a job in the starting rotation in spring training and he has been very good for the Cubs so far in 2010. Silva has started 17 games for the Cubs this year and he is 9-3 with a 3.45 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. 27-year old lefty reliever Sean Marshall finally has decided to live up to his potential in 2010. Marshall has pitched in 45 games (0 starts) for the Cubs this season and he is 5-2 with 1 save, a 2.03 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. He has only allowed 33 hits in 44 1/3 innings this season while whiffing 49 batters showing just how nasty he has been. 27-year old lefty starting pitcher Tom Gorzelanny is pitching the best ball of his career for the Cubs in 2010. Gorzelanny has pitched in 18 games (12 starts) for the Cubs this year and he is 4-5 with 1 save, a 3.16 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. He has whiffed 76 batters in only 74 innings showing off some good stuff.

Disappointments: A lot of the core players of the Cubs are having terrible seasons and they are a big reason for the record they have in 2010. 34-year old righty swinging 1B Derek Lee just hasn’t looked good at the plate this year. Lee has played in 85 games for the Cubs this year and he is 75 of 322 (.233 avg, .695 OPS) with 42 runs scored, 10 homers and 36 RBIs. 32-year old righty swinging 3B Aramis Ramirez has had a horrible injury filled season. Ramirez has played in 62 games for the Cubs this year and he is 49 of 237 (.207 avg, .648 OPS) with 29 runs scored, 10 homers and 32 RBIs. 29-year old righty starter/reliever Carlos Zambrano has pitched horrible for the Cubs this season before he went all coo-coo in the dugout which resulted in his indefinite suspension. Zambrano has pitched in 22 games (9 starts) for the Cubs this year and he is 3-6 with a 5.66 ERA and a 1.69 WHIP. 31-year old lefty reliever John Grabow is hurt now but he has also been pathetic this year. Grabow has pitched in 28 games (0 starts) for the Cubs this year and he is 1-3 with a 7.36 ERA and a 1.87 WHIP.

The Cubs look like they are running in circles so far this season. They are 5-7 on the season which has them tied for 3rd in the N.L. Central with the Brewers, 3 games behind the Cardinals. The Cubs have been outscored 58-52 so far this season so they need to both hit and pitch a little better if they want to start getting on a roll. Maybe that will happen this week as the Cubs travel to New York for 4 games with the Mets and then off to Milwaukee for 3 games.

The Cubs have started the 2010 season with a 2-4 record which has them in fifth place in the N.L. Central. The Cubs have been outscored 30-18 as they have not pitched nor hit well. The Cubs will be playing six games at home this week against the Brewers and Astros so maybe some home cooking can get them back on track.

The Chicago Cubs are 1-3 to start the 2010 season as they have been outscored 24-13. It truly is a team effort as to why the Cubs have stunk so far this season. The Cubs are only hitting .213 as a team with a paltry .633 OPS. They are also having huge issues in the bullpen as only Sean Marshall and Carlos Marmol are pitching well out there. I can’t see the bullpen getting a whole lot better any time soon unless the Cubs either sign someone or trade for some new blood. The Cubs need to get their act together soon because the Cardinals have got out of the gate well.

The Cubs are still in first place in the National League Central with a 83-76 record, 2 games ahead of the Brewers.  The Cubs have three games left this season against the Reds in Cincy while the Brewers have three home games against the Padres.  The big three hitters on the Cubs (Soriano, Lee and Ramirez) are all hitting the ball well right now.  Ramirez is 8 for his last 27 (.296 avg) with 6 runs scored, 3 homers and 9 RBIs.  Derek Lee is 12 for his last 26 (.462 avg) with 8 runs scored, 3 homers and 6 RBIs.  And Alfonso Soriano has been outstanding at the top of the lineup as he is 9 for his last 27 (.333 avg) with 5 runs scored, 3 homers and 7 RBIs.  Look for the Cubs to hold on and win the Central.

The Cubs needed help in the middle of their bullpen when the season started and Carlos Marmol came out of nowhere to dominate in that role.  Marmol has worked in 55 games this season and he is 5-1 with 1 save, a 1.25 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP.  In 64.2 innings he has allowed only 38 hits, walked 33 batters and whiffed 89.  The scary thing about Marmol is that he could be even better if he tightens up his control a little bit.  The Cubs are now deadlocked with the Brewers for first place in the National League Central with a 79-73 record.  The Cubs must win the division to make the playoffs as they are 5 games behind the Padres for the Wild Card.