April 5, 2017

DEFENSE WINS GAMES

For those who doubt that defense wins games, last nights Cubs-Cardinals game should make them believers.

Albert Almora leaped over the center field wall to rob Matt Adams of a home run and Javier Baez made a difficult sliding stop on Kolten Wong's  game-ending grounder, giving the Cubs to a 2-1 victory against the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night.

Jake Arrieta was very good in his opener. He pitched 6 strong innings, striking out 6 and yielding only one unearned run (on a Baez error).

Heyward is a gold glove caliber right fielder. Last season he had 18 defensive runs saved when he played the outfield. That is an outstanding defensive metric.

But the kids are on pace to surpass his defensive milestones.

In just 41 games played in 2016, Almora had 3 defensive runs saved. For a full season, that would equate to around 11 defensive runs saved.

But the wizard of the glove has to be Baez. In part time work last season, Baez had an amazing 11 defensive runs saved when he played second base (in only 59 games)! He had 18 defensive runs saved in total.

So in 2016, just three Cubs amassed 39 runs saved by playing solid defense.The Cubs lead the National League with the fewest runs scored at 556. Based on this metric, he three Cubs bring a 7 percent decrease in an opponent scoring a run. In a close, one-run ball game, defense is the key to victory.

Like last night's contest. If Almora and Baez to not make those clutch plays, the Cardinals win 3-2.

From a purists' standpoint, it is really nice to see the leather being thrown around the field.