Addison Russell’s Elite Defense and Improving Bat and Other Bullets

addison russell helmetI can’t be completely tone deaf and not say anything up here. It’s going to be a challenging stretch for folks now, and that was going to be true whatever the final outcome of last night’s election. There is a troubling lack of empathy – on both sides of the aisle (the lack of empathy extends to the fact that there is such a clear aisle in the first place) – and I just hope we can all continue to take time to try to understand each other a little better. The whole of a person cannot be summed up in a tweet.

This place will remain focused on baseball, the language we all understand and agree upon.

  • By SABR’s overall defensive measure, Addison Russell was the best defensive player in the National League. As we know, Russell did not win the Gold Glove last night, but there can be no question at this point – especially after what he did in 2015 – that he is one of the best defensive players in baseball. It’s fun to think about that fact in conjunction with the following: (1) Russell is just 22 years old, (2) Russell has already completed his second season in the big leagues, and (3) Russell improved his strikeout rate, walk rate, and isolated power from 2015 to 2016. On a team loaded with young positional stars, it can sometimes be easy to forget that Russell’s potential overall value remains as high as any of them.
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  • Thoughts and background on the man in charge of the Cubs, about what drives Theo Epstein, and about why he won’t be satisfied with the Cubs’ recent title.
  • Jason McLeod’s thoughts on the Cubs’ title. Among the dudes for whom you’re happy about the win, McLeod has to be up there – the guy turned down opportunities with other clubs so that he could be a part of the championship he was instrumental in achieving.
  • There’s good stuff in the interview about Kyle Schwarber’s role in the postseason and rehab process, but I do like the tease the best:
  • Schwarber will be on ‘LIVE with Kelly’ tomorrow morning, too, interviewed by Alex Rodriguez.
  • Kris Bryant’s Ted Williams-informed swing.
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  • This is from a bit ago, but it’s a personal look at David Ross’s life, and the end of his playing days. And Ross tweeted this last night:
  • Ross, together with Kris Bryant, were on ‘The Ellen Show’ yesterday, and a great deal of fun was had at Ross’s age-related expense:
  • Wireless, sport, earbud headphones are a deal of the day at Amazon, and I’m gonna need to jump on this because I’m tired of my Apple earbuds falling out of my left ear (and only my left ear … sigh).
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    written by

    Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

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