Dominant defense fuels the Cubs' success again. Elite fielding, led by Gold Glove winners, makes them a baseball standout.
The Chicago Cubs once again have a top defense in baseball.
The Cubs were one of the best defensive teams in Major League Baseball last year. They ranked second in team defensive runs saved (84) and had six National League Gold Glove finalists across nine different positions.
There were not many teams last year that stacked up to the Cubs defensively. Only the Texas Rangers finished with a higher team defensive runs saved (89) by the end of the 2025 season.
Unsurprisingly, the Cubs have continued their stellar play in the field into 2026.
Chicago currently ranks tied for third in team defensive runs saved after its first 23 games. Fielding Bible has the Cubs with 13 defensive runs saved so far, only trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers (20) and Kansas City Royals (14).
The Cubs have definitely played some stellar defense in the early going. They are making it easier for the pitching staff, and their elite defense is a major reason why the rotation has a 1.88 ERA over the last seven games.
Watching this team play defense is truly impressive.
This group is led by center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and second baseman Nico Hoerner yet again. Both players won a Gold Glove award last season, and they could both be headed for another one this year.
Crow-Armstrong has been the best defender in baseball to begin the year. He ranks first in Fielding Run Value (6), first in five-star catches (3), first in outs above average (6), and tied for first in runs prevented (5) among all defenders.
There really hasn’t been any defender on Crow-Armstrong’s level this year. He continues to make big catches, and his range in the outfield makes him such an elite defender. That’s what makes him so special in center field.
Hoerner has also been at the top of his defensive game early on. He ranks tied for seventh in Fielding Run Value (3), tied for sixth in Runs Prevented (3), and tied for sixth in Outs Above Average (4) among all defenders.
There’s no doubt that Crow-Armstrong and Hoerner are the leaders of this defense, but the Cubs also get strong defensive contributors from Ian Happ, Dansby Swanson, and Michael Busch.
Happ is a four-time Gold Glove winner and has saved three runs already this season. Swanson has been a solid defender since arriving in Chicago, and Busch ranks in the 92nd percentile in Fielding Run Value so far.
That all points to the Cubs having a top defense for the second consecutive year.