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.