Part of a series of articles previewing the defensive performance of all 30 MLB teams by asking the question … are they good? We give an overview of team strengths, weaknesses, and other things to know, using Defensive Runs Saved and other stats as the basis for our evaluation. To see the full series, click here.
2025 Team Defensive Runs Saved Rank: 2nd
Cubs Team Rank – Defensive Runs Saved
| Season | Rank |
| 2023 | T-8th |
| 2024 | 9th |
| 2025 | 2nd |
Â
Team Strengths
There are a lot of strengths, arguably as many as any team in MLB.
Let’s start in center field with Pete Crow-Armstrong, who was neck-and-neck with Ceddanne Rafaela for the Runs Saved lead there for most of the season. He finished second in Runs Saved and we’d be surprised if he wasn’t top three this year.
Move over to left field where Ian Happ is a four-time Gold Glove winner, though he’s yet to win a Fielding Bible Award because Steven Kwan has been in his way. Happ has averaged 8 Runs Saved over the last four seasons and ranks second to Kwan in Runs Saved as a left fielder in that time.
At second base the Cubs have 2025 Fielding Bible Award winner Nico Hoerner, who led the position in Runs Saved last season. Hoerner is basically a shortstop playing second base. He’s tallied at least 10 Runs Saved at one of those positions in three of the last four seasons.
Positional Ranks – Defensive Runs Saved in 2025
| Player | Runs Saved |
| Nico Hoerner | 1st (2B) |
| Pete Crow-Armstrong | T-2nd (CF) |
| Ian Happ | 5th (LF) |
Next to him is shortstop Dansby Swanson, who won the Fielding Bible Award in 2024. He’s coming off four straight seasons with at least 7 Defensive Runs Saved. His 40 Runs Saved in that time rank second-most.
| Player | Runs Saved |
| Taylor Walls | 42 |
| Dansby Swanson | 40 |
| Miguel Rojas | 35 |
| Jeremy Pena | 32 |
The other strength is that they have no big weaknesses. Players like first baseman Michael Busch, catcher Carson Kelly, and third baseman Alex Bregman are all average to above-average defensive players.
Team Weaknesses
Right fielder Seiya Suzuki is the only regular who had negative Runs Saved at the position he’ll be playing (right field). He had -4 Runs Saved in right field, though that was in only 32 games. In 310 games prior to 2025, Suzuki had 0 Runs Saved as a right fielder.
Other Things To Know
Pitcher Matthew Boyd had 8 pickoffs and 3 pitcher caught stealings last season. His 11 combined easily led the majors. Entering 2025 Boyd had only 1 career pickoff but did have 15 pitcher caught stealings. His 6 Runs Saved surpassed his career total by 2.
Are The Cubs A Good Defensive Team?
Yes, definitely. They’re the best in the National League and could be the best in the major leagues at year’s end.
