Just to start off, it was good to see the Braves beat the Dodgers, and even more satisfying seeing it was a walk-off hit by Austin Riley. Still hoping for a Red Sox/Braves World Series- it'd be a nice change of pace.
Anyway, back to our topic for today: The Cubs' Defense. Overall ranking for defensive efficiency, the Cubs ranked no.20, just ahead of the Marlins and just behind the Twins, so certainly not good, but hey, the Cubs aren't number 30!
Since a lot of fielding stats are confusing and probably won't mean much to you, I'm just going to highlight a few areas and explain them in everyday terms.
1. Shortstop and Second were a BIG Problem.
A total of 41 errors of the teams' 87 errors were made at second or shortstop. That's almost half of the teams' errors at two positions!
Javier Baez made an obnoxious total of 18 errors at shortstop before he left (strange for a guy who was a gold glove finalist in 2020), and Sergio Alcantara made 9 errors in his time playing for the Cubs.
Other contributors to this was David Bote, Matt Duffy, Nico Hoerner (who did only make 2 errors), and Andrew Romine (remind me why he was on the team again?). Although errors aren't everything, they certainly do say something about the team and their ability to make plays.
Hoerner has shown himself to be a top-notch defensive player, and Madrigal isn't too bad, so perhaps these positions won't be as big as a problem next year.
2. Outfield Was Not Too Bad
Jason Heyward, yes Jason Heyward led the outfielders in best fielder value. He fielded 784 innings, made 0 errors, and had a 4 rdrs (defensive runs saved above average).
Ian Happ made a few highlight reel plays, established himself as a decent everyday fielder, but wasn't perfect. He made an error, and also wasn't as good at making plays that didn't come directly to him (meaning he would have to run and catch the ball). He had a -3 rdrs, compared to Heyward's 4 rdrs, so that isn't the best, but he also isn't a TERRIBLE fielder.
Michael Hermosillo was a good defensive player in his short time playing, and I hope the Cubs give him another shot in 2022.
Rafael Ortega was slightly less than average in his defense, but his hitting pretty much made up for it. He could use some improvement if he plays center field on an everyday basis in 2022.
3. First Base and Catcher Were Great, Third Base Alright
Patrick Wisdom and Matt Duffy primarily played third, and both had okay results. Wisdom did have 8 errors, and Duffy had 5, so that is an area for concern, but overall Wisdom had a 4 rdrs (the same as Heyward) and a .973 FP (fielding percentage). Duffy had a 2 rdrs, and a .980 FP, so both were pretty equal, though Wisdom played 760 innings compared to Duffy's 620 innings.
Rizzo and Schwindel were the mainstays at first; Rizzo in the first half and Schwindel in the second half. Rizzo committed 3 errors, but had a .996 FP. He was a solid defender and made some great plays.
Schwindel only had 1 error, with a .998 FP, so he was a pretty good fielder as well, definitely making up for Rizzo's departure.
Willson Contreras was pretty decent this year as well, though a little down from his career average fielding. Chirinos took most of the back-up catching after the Cubs went through 6 catchers (who were a disaster fielding and hitting), and wasn't too bad either, though not a top-tier starting catcher like Contreras.
Overall, What Do We See?
I see a big area for improvement in shortstop and second base, though hopefully that should be partly resolved by Madrigal and Hoerner (if he's healthy). I think the Cubs should target a good defensive shortstop (although maybe not Correa? We'll see about that), who can possibly platoon with Hoerner.
If the Cubs trade Heyward this offseason, that will be a big void as far as fielding goes, so maybe a good outfield fielder might be a good target?
Third base is still up in the air, and we can see that could use some improvement as well. First base and catcher I see as taken care of, unless the Cubs trade Contreras, then...
Defensively, I see the Cubs improving in 2022 by adding some free agents and by second being locked down by Madrigal. I get it, fielding a small hard-hit ball can be tough, but they say practice makes perfect, so let's just hope it does in the Cubs' case!
Anyway, y'all have a good week and I'm looking forward to seeing what steps the Cubs take in improving their defense!
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