How would you improve the Cub defense?

[CubfaninCA]

I'm getting sick of this Cub defense blowing games. Yeah, the offense could be better, but the Cubs are beating themselves w/ their subpar d.

 

How should they address this in the offseason?? They have one good all around player, Lee. Walker's average to below avg. on d. Nomar and ARam are pretty awful. Lawton doesn't look too hot in lf. Patterson's good in cf, but can't hit. Burnitz probably won't be back, and Barrett's not much of a defender, but at least he can hit. What good defender or all around player should Hendry try to acquire. Cub pitchers cannot like pitching w/ this defense behind them.

[burnt out cubbie fan]

Sweet! So we have Walker, Aramis, and Barrett to trade away? We can get a couple of good defenders for that package.

[katway]

They can imporve defense in house -- Move Nomar to second, Cedeno to short, Pie in center, CPatt in left, Burny in right. ARam is injured, so I give him a slight pass. Aside from his major mistake throw, Barrett is at least average defensively. Lee, of course, is a true gold glover.

[AAApittsburgh]

I'd say the offense is a bigger problem.

[erik316wttn]

I'd say the offense is a bigger problem.

 

Agreed.

[CubfaninCA]

Sweet! So we have Walker, Aramis, and Barrett to trade away? We can get a couple of good defenders for that package.

 

Huh?

[OldHappyCubFan]

Fundamentals are more key, then gold gloves imo.

 

Teach them, and place importance on them.

[CubfaninCA]

They can imporve defense in house -- Move Nomar to second, Cedeno to short, Pie in center, CPatt in left, Burny in right. ARam is injured, so I give him a slight pass. Aside from his major mistake throw, Barrett is at least average defensively. Lee, of course, is a true gold glover.

 

Well, I'd rather have Giles in rf next yr, but that sounds alright. Who would leadoff though?? Pie?? Cedeno??

[TC3_Hinrich12]

I want to see Cedeno starting at SS, Walker let go and Hairston starting at 2B. Damon patrolling CF, Pie will probably be starting in RF and I don't know about LF and Murton. I'm not sure if he will be the everyday man next year or if they will get someone else... Barrett and Aramis are obviously going nowhere though.

[burnt out cubbie fan]

I would gladly take Walker over Hairston any day of the week, especially if you plan on getting Damon.

[Rob]

While I'm not going to try and argue that our defense is good, it certainly isn't as bad as people try to make it out to be.

 

We're still 15th in the league in defensive efficiency, which puts us in the top half of the league, albeit not by much. The Yankees, Red Sox, Braves, and Marlins all trail us, and they're much better ballclubs in general.

 

The problem lies more with our pitching and offense, rather than defensive woes.

[TC3_Hinrich12]

Hairston is much better defensively at 2nd than Walker.

[AAApittsburgh]

Hairston is much better defensively at 2nd than Walker.

When he was filling in for Walker earlier this season, his defense wasn't all that good IIRC. He has been injury prone over the course of his career, and he doesn't even create that many XBHs for a 2B.

[burnt out cubbie fan]

Hairston is much better defensively at 2nd than Walker.

Walker is much, much better than Hairston offensively.

[TC3_Hinrich12]

Hairston is capable of being a pretty good glove at second, he hasn't gotten enough time there this year. And yes, Walker can produce better offensively but, look at the title of the thread. It's about improving defensively. Anyway I like Todd but I think the Cubs may be parting ways with him this year. But that all depends on whether Hairston comes back, I think they will be keeping only one of them. It's time to build this team differently anyway. Hairston just switched from a different league and is capable of hitting 300 and he brings speed to the table. Hopefully his injury days are behind him and he has settled to the NL. I'd be willing to take a "chance" on him as the everyday 2B next year. Free Agents are thin at 2B though, so it's either Walker or Hairston.

[TC3_Hinrich12]

Walker is going to draw a lot of interest from many teams because he is clearly the best 2B available. And Walker is going to want to go to a winning team and with the Cubs having kind of a "rebuilding year" next year, that's why I don't think he will be here next year. Walker is a team option for next year, and he might want to test the market anyway.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Walker is going to draw a lot of interest from many teams because he is clearly the best 2B available. And Walker is going to want to go to a winning team and with the Cubs having kind of a "rebuilding year" next year, that's why I don't think he will be here next year. Walker is a team option for next year, and he might want to test the market anyway.

 

Uh, a team option means the Cubs decide whether to pick it up or not, so Walker's desire to test the market has no impact.

[burnt out cubbie fan]

If we want to shape the team differently, we should get some corner outfielders that can hit and not trade away our players that are good. That would mean keeping Todd Walker because he is the 3rd best position player we have. I am fine with keeping Hairston as the utility guy but I don't believe that he will put up the type of numbers over the course of a season that warrants a starting position. I realize that he may be better defensively than Walker but the difference isn’t big enough to offset the offensive production that he brings. And, you can't just build a team by saying let's choose defense over offense even if the guys you let go are much better hitters.

[TC3_Hinrich12]

Walker is going to draw a lot of interest from many teams because he is clearly the best 2B available. And Walker is going to want to go to a winning team and with the Cubs having kind of a "rebuilding year" next year, that's why I don't think he will be here next year. Walker is a team option for next year, and he might want to test the market anyway.

 

Uh, a team option means the Cubs decide whether to pick it up or not, so Walker's desire to test the market has no impact.

 

I know that, and I think the Cubs will decline it and I don't think Walker will want to be here next year

[TC3_Hinrich12]

If we want to shape the team differently, we should get some corner outfielders that can hit and not trade away our players that are good. That would mean keeping Todd Walker because he is the 3rd best position player we have. I am fine with keeping Hairston as the utility guy but I don't believe that he will put up the type of numbers over the course of a season that warrants a starting position. I realize that he may be better defensively than Walker but the difference isn’t big enough to offset the offensive production that he brings. And, you can't just build a team by saying let's choose defense over offense even if the guys you let go are much better hitters.

 

I'm tired of watching this team get so many errors. I want to see this offense built around speed, situational hitting and defense, not just heavily depended on power which has translated to a lot of K's and terrible clutch hitting. I know Walker is capable of the hitting part, but I want to see the D part for once. Defense is very underated, with a bad defense, you will go nowhere. I don't think I said anything about trading our good players either. Of course I want Aramis, Lee and Barrett here. I know Ramirez doesn't fit into the "great defense" but we have to have his bat. Same with Barrett, but he can keep improving behing the plate. I'd like to see Blanco back though. And I wouldn't mind seeing Damon, Jacque Jones and Pie in the OF next year. Yes, Jacque Jones. He may still be a Twin next year but it would be great to get Jones. He may K a little more than 100 times but he can win a gold glove, is a great clutch hitter, pretty good power, can still hit over 270 and a team leader, not selfish, just does what he's asked and is a team guy. Jones still has good speed, but not base stealing speed. I think all that should translate into for once, not one of the worst clutch hitting teams and RISP hitting teams. Jones, Damon, Cedeno, Pie, Hairston and Lee, that's a lot of speed. I think we would see more runs.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

If we want to shape the team differently, we should get some corner outfielders that can hit and not trade away our players that are good. That would mean keeping Todd Walker because he is the 3rd best position player we have. I am fine with keeping Hairston as the utility guy but I don't believe that he will put up the type of numbers over the course of a season that warrants a starting position. I realize that he may be better defensively than Walker but the difference isn’t big enough to offset the offensive production that he brings. And, you can't just build a team by saying let's choose defense over offense even if the guys you let go are much better hitters.

 

I'm tired of watching this team get so many errors. I want to see this offense built around speed, situational hitting and defense, not just heavily depended on power which has translated to a lot of K's and terrible clutch hitting. I know Walker is capable of the hitting part, but I want to see the D part for once. Defense is very underated, with a bad defense, you will go nowhere. I don't think I said anything about trading our good players either. Of course I want Aramis, Lee and Barrett here. I know Ramirez doesn't fit into the "great defense" but we have to have his bat. Same with Barrett, but he can keep improving behing the plate. I'd like to see Blanco back though. And I wouldn't mind seeing Damon, Jacque Jones and Pie in the OF next year. Yes, Jacque Jones. He may still be a Twin next year but it would be great to get Jones. He may K a little more than 100 times but he can win a gold glove, is a great clutch hitter, pretty good power, can still hit over 270 and a team leader, not selfish, just does what he's asked and is a team guy. Jones still has good speed, but not base stealing speed. I think all that should translate into for once, not one of the worst clutch hitting teams and RISP hitting teams. Jones, Damon, Cedeno, Pie, Hairston and Lee, that's a lot of speed. I think we would see more runs.

 

How do you plan on getting a team that is a good "situational hitting" team, when "situational hitting" numbers vary wildly and ultimately end up around the player's career numbers?

[CubfaninCA]

I want to see Cedeno starting at SS, Walker let go and Hairston starting at 2B. Damon patrolling CF, Pie will probably be starting in RF and I don't know about LF and Murton. I'm not sure if he will be the everyday man next year or if they will get someone else... Barrett and Aramis are obviously going nowhere though.

 

I doubt the Cubs have much of a shot @ Damon. With the Yankees needing a cf, they'll probably offer him a long term deal. I can't see the Cubs offering Damon more than 4 years.

 

I'd be cool w/ giving Patterson more time to prove himself in cf. The guy has tons of talent, and could turn out to be an Andruw Jones type. However, if they can trade him for a starter or a hitter that's fine too. As for Pie, it doesn't sound like he'll be quite ready.

 

Ideally, I'd like to see the Cubs get a major upgrade in rf and a defensive upgrade @ either 2b or SS.

[TC3_Hinrich12]

If we want to shape the team differently, we should get some corner outfielders that can hit and not trade away our players that are good. That would mean keeping Todd Walker because he is the 3rd best position player we have. I am fine with keeping Hairston as the utility guy but I don't believe that he will put up the type of numbers over the course of a season that warrants a starting position. I realize that he may be better defensively than Walker but the difference isn’t big enough to offset the offensive production that he brings. And, you can't just build a team by saying let's choose defense over offense even if the guys you let go are much better hitters.

 

I'm tired of watching this team get so many errors. I want to see this offense built around speed, situational hitting and defense, not just heavily depended on power which has translated to a lot of K's and terrible clutch hitting. I know Walker is capable of the hitting part, but I want to see the D part for once. Defense is very underated, with a bad defense, you will go nowhere. I don't think I said anything about trading our good players either. Of course I want Aramis, Lee and Barrett here. I know Ramirez doesn't fit into the "great defense" but we have to have his bat. Same with Barrett, but he can keep improving behing the plate. I'd like to see Blanco back though. And I wouldn't mind seeing Damon, Jacque Jones and Pie in the OF next year. Yes, Jacque Jones. He may still be a Twin next year but it would be great to get Jones. He may K a little more than 100 times but he can win a gold glove, is a great clutch hitter, pretty good power, can still hit over 270 and a team leader, not selfish, just does what he's asked and is a team guy. Jones still has good speed, but not base stealing speed. I think all that should translate into for once, not one of the worst clutch hitting teams and RISP hitting teams. Jones, Damon, Cedeno, Pie, Hairston and Lee, that's a lot of speed. I think we would see more runs.

 

How do you plan on getting a team that is a good "situational hitting" team, when "situational hitting" numbers vary wildly and ultimately end up around the player's career numbers?

 

Free agency, trades. In case you didn't see already I mentioned Damon and Jones. That's wisful thinking for me, 2 players I want the most.

[TC3_Hinrich12]

I want to see Cedeno starting at SS, Walker let go and Hairston starting at 2B. Damon patrolling CF, Pie will probably be starting in RF and I don't know about LF and Murton. I'm not sure if he will be the everyday man next year or if they will get someone else... Barrett and Aramis are obviously going nowhere though.

 

I doubt the Cubs have much of a shot @ Damon. With the Yankees needing a cf, they'll probably offer him a long term deal. I can't see the Cubs offering Damon more than 4 years.

 

I'd be cool w/ giving Patterson more time to prove himself in cf. The guy has tons of talent, and could turn out to be an Andruw Jones type. However, if they can trade him for a starter or a hitter that's fine too. As for Pie, it doesn't sound like he'll be quite ready.

 

Ideally, I'd like to see the Cubs get a major upgrade in rf and a defensive upgrade @ either 2b or SS.

 

I know that about Damon but I'm hoping he will not want to play with the Yankees, that's my only hope.

 

BTW if Marcus Giles is available, get him. I'd take Giles over Hairston or Walker anyday.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

If we want to shape the team differently, we should get some corner outfielders that can hit and not trade away our players that are good. That would mean keeping Todd Walker because he is the 3rd best position player we have. I am fine with keeping Hairston as the utility guy but I don't believe that he will put up the type of numbers over the course of a season that warrants a starting position. I realize that he may be better defensively than Walker but the difference isn’t big enough to offset the offensive production that he brings. And, you can't just build a team by saying let's choose defense over offense even if the guys you let go are much better hitters.

 

I'm tired of watching this team get so many errors. I want to see this offense built around speed, situational hitting and defense, not just heavily depended on power which has translated to a lot of K's and terrible clutch hitting. I know Walker is capable of the hitting part, but I want to see the D part for once. Defense is very underated, with a bad defense, you will go nowhere. I don't think I said anything about trading our good players either. Of course I want Aramis, Lee and Barrett here. I know Ramirez doesn't fit into the "great defense" but we have to have his bat. Same with Barrett, but he can keep improving behing the plate. I'd like to see Blanco back though. And I wouldn't mind seeing Damon, Jacque Jones and Pie in the OF next year. Yes, Jacque Jones. He may still be a Twin next year but it would be great to get Jones. He may K a little more than 100 times but he can win a gold glove, is a great clutch hitter, pretty good power, can still hit over 270 and a team leader, not selfish, just does what he's asked and is a team guy. Jones still has good speed, but not base stealing speed. I think all that should translate into for once, not one of the worst clutch hitting teams and RISP hitting teams. Jones, Damon, Cedeno, Pie, Hairston and Lee, that's a lot of speed. I think we would see more runs.

 

How do you plan on getting a team that is a good "situational hitting" team, when "situational hitting" numbers vary wildly and ultimately end up around the player's career numbers?

 

Free agency, trades. In case you didn't see already I mentioned Damon and Jones. That's wisful thinking for me, 2 players I want the most.

 

You're missing the point. It's basically impossible to get a good "situational hitting" team, because there's almost no such thing as a good "situational hitter". The numbers for players in those situations vary from year to year, sometimes extremely. They aren't predictive.