GLENDALE, Ariz. – The Cubs’ rotation this season is going to be geared toward pitchability and not velocity like many others around the game. The additions of Jake Arrieta, Zach Davies and Trevor Williams to go along with Kyle Hendricks, Alec Mills and Adbert Alzolay show the Cubs commitment to that strategy in 2021.
But with a staff that lives in the strike zone and works to contact, having a defense that can make plays behind it can make a world of difference.
The growth made on the defensive side of the ball last season has given Cubs pitchers confidence that if the ball is hit somewhere, there’s a good chance it will be caught.
“It’s something that I’m gonna get spoiled by,” right-hander Trevor Williams said about his new defense. “I’m looking forward to being spoiled by that and I’m just looking forward to seeing what everybody can bring to the field every day but it’s something that is exciting baseball to watch.”
When David Ross was hired as manager, something he wanted to emphasize was the Cubs’ dedication to the defensive side of the ball and after a poor season as a team in 2019, they took a major step forward.
They ranked sixth in MLB with 23 defensive runs saved last season and committed just 30 errors as a team, the second-lowest total in the National League. The Cubs had seven finalists for the Gold Glove Award in 2020 with Javy Baez and Anthony Rizzo winning the award. The Cubs also took home the team Gold Glove Award.
The improvement on the defensive end couldn’t come from the manager alone, but a commitment by the players to improve both as individuals and as a group.
“Play the game on both sides of the ball,” right fielder Jason Heyward said. “Get comfortable with each other, whether it’s outfield or infield. Just work hard every day on being the best we can on that and realizing how much of a lift that we can gain from just playing good defense.
“I think when you look at some of the numbers, we don’t love to look at numbers as players, we love to look at the wins and losses. But some guys felt like they didn’t have a year offensively [in 2020] and that showed when it came to statistics. But we still did win our division and a tough one at that. I think playing defense and doing a lot of little things ... getting a lot of things done on a daily basis with intent got us where we can be as far as division. But of course you want to take it further than that.”
Cubs starters have talked about their desire to help their defense out this spring and while having a sound defense to rely on is important, working quickly and limiting baserunners remains the key to keeping runs off the board.
“When you walk a guy and get the ball walking back to the mound, it’s not fun seeing your fielders just standing, not really giving them a chance to move around,” right-hander Alec Mills said. “The longer they’re standing out there, the less chance they have to play.
“I’m a guy that’s gonna make hitters put the ball in play, not gonna generate a whole lot of strikeouts. So the more I keep them moving and keep them engaged is better for me. What they do out there is special. As a team, as a whole. We won the Gold Glove Award as a team. So I think that was an award that was definitely well deserved. Around the infield, around the outfield, it’s just a lot of fun to watch.”
