Manager Joe Maddon did not like what he initially saw with this new club. He saw poor fundamentals.
Now, as spring training is ending, he is looking beyond the home run swings and hype of prospects.
Defense and baserunning are the two parts of the game that Maddon
keeps stressing, but don’t show up much in a spring box score. If other
things are equal, or the Cubs believe they might have enough power at
the plate, these are the areas that can win or lose jobs.
Junior Lake and
Matt Szczur, in particular, have shown better defensive skills than Ryan Sweeney, which bumps him from 5th outfielder consideration.
Welington Castillo has thrown out 50% of the runners trying to steal on him. He also has a .375 batting average. The Cubs may be forced to keep three catchers considering Castillo is the best insurance they have if Montero or Ross come down to injury.
“I’m
seeing some things differently,” Maddon reiterated mysteriously. “I
like defense, man. I like [the] ball being caught. There’s no unilateral
decisions being made here.”
Whether Maddon's preaching about defense and base running sticks with the Cubs is going to be a key to early team success. It is a new spin on how the Cubs are going to play in 2015.
