32-year old righty swinging 3B Aramis Ramirez got off to a awful start this season for the Cubs. But he got super hot in July and August for the Cubbies. In July+August, Ramirez was 58 of 189 (.307 avg) with 33 runs scored, 14 homers and 46 RBIs. He started so slow that his full year numbers are still not too impressive. Ramirez has played in 104 games for the Cubs this year and he is 94 of 391 (.240 avg, .734 OPS) with 52 runs scored, 20 homers and 69 RBIs.

24-year old lefty swinging 2B Blake DeWitt was one of the key players the Cubs got back in the Ted Lilly, Ryan Theriot trade with the Dodgers and he’s off to a fast start. He has played in 17 games for the Cubs now and he is 16 of 56 (.286 avg, .783 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 2 homers, 7 RBIs and 1 stolen bases. The power has been a nice surprise for the Cubs and they hope he keeps up the good work because the depleted Cubbies’ lineup needs all the help it can get right now.

I know that there were detractors when the Cubs signed 32-year old righty swinging outfielder Marlon Byrd but he has silenced his critics as this year. Byrd has played in 117 games for the Cubbies this year and he is 136 of 444 (.306 avg, .817 OPS) with 64 runs scored, 11 homers, 53 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Byrd has been a decent CF and he’s a very aggressive player in the field, at the plate and on the basepaths as he is fast becoming a fan favorite at Wrigley Field.

27-year old catcher Geovany Soto was the N.L. Rookie of the Year in 2008 for the Cubs so they had high expectations for him in 2009. But he flopped big time in his second year in the show. He played in 102 games for the Cubs last year and he was 72 of 331 (.218 avg, .702 OPS) with 27 runs scored, 11 homers and 47 RBIs. So the Cubs didn’t know what to expect out of Soto in 2010. Lucky for them they have gotten the 2008 version. Soto has played in 87 games this season for the Cubs and he is 75 of 262 (.286 avg, .917 OPS) with 41 runs scored, 15 homers and 45 RBIs. You certainly can’t blame Soto for the poor play of the Cubs this year.

32-year old starting CF Marlon Byrd will be the Cubs’ lone All-Star next week. He has played in 81 games for the Cubs this season and he is 95 of 307 (.309 avg, .838 OPS) with 43 runs scored, 9 homers, 35 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Byrd has turned out to be a solid free agent signing for the Cubs as he has been their best player overall this season. He deserves the honor he will get next week and it will be his first appearance in the All-Star Game.