Cubs Week In Review: Dansby Swanson, Ian Happ Gold Glove "Finalists", Cubs Hire Rockies Coach

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With the postseason reaching a crescendo, this was the slowest week of the Cubs' very young offseason. The waters are shallow this time around, but let's dive in to see how it all went down.

Image courtesy of © Matt Marton-Imagn Images

Though it's difficult to measure either player's true worth amid the Cubs' dismal results this season, Dansby Swanson and Ian Happ were vital pieces in at least keeping their club in ball games. Boasting 18 outs above average, Swanson provided the Cubs with near-lockdown defense at the shortstop position this season. Even paired with his dishearteningly pedestrian offensive output, Swanson's defensive prowess provided mostly convincing evidence for a role in Craig Counsell's everyday lineup.

Curiously, after winning the honor in 2023, Nico Hoerner wasn't one of the top three Gold Glove vote-getters at the keystone this season. Perhaps if the Cubs had achieved their postseason goals, or the not-so-Friendly Confines had not posed such a documented disadvantage this season, there would have been more accolades to go around. One aspect of these particular Gold Glove "finalists" (that's not really what they are, there was no nomination process or second round of voting, but that's what the league is calling them) worth noting is the fact that they were bestowed upon two of the club's most prominent leaders, especially in the case of left fielder Ian Happ.

You know from my previous work that Happ is a player I deem essential to the clubhouse. His even-keeled approach keeps himself and his teammates in check throughout a challenging season. But more than that, and setting aside his blistering offensive ascent in the second half of the 2024 season, he is one of the best in the business at tracking down balls in one of the more punishing zones of Wrigley Field. He was spectacular when it comes to his approach angle on balls hit to left field. Regardless of whether or not the offense he showed this season is sustainable going forward, his defense more than makes up for it. Now, all the Cubs need is elite pitching and a fearsome, problematic bat in the middle of the order and we're in business.

Finally, and notably, we missed one very positive and important development about two weeks ago, when catching guru and coach Jerry Weinstein announced he would be leaving his longtime post with the Rockies for a more wide-ranging role with the Cubs. We don't yet know what shape that will take, but Weinstein has long been one of the clearest and smartest voices on Baseball Twitter about the mechanics of catching and various defensive and baserunning plays. He's in his 80s, so it seems unlikely that this will be a uniformed gig in the dugout, but wherever he's deployed, he'll be a highly valuable addition to the organization.

 

With the postseason nearing its end, it seems wise for the Cubs front office to take these nominations not as a good sign that veteran talent exists with the big-league club, but as an indication that there is much work yet to be done. The calendar is just about to turn over to the season of feasts, and with it, continued hope that one day soon the Cubs will have more to eat. 

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