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Chicago Cubs Take Home Several Defensive Awards
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- Chicago Cubs Take Home Several Defensive Awards
Several Chicago Cubs players will take home some hardware this season.
Pete Crow-Armstrong is the favorite to win the National League MVP award. Crow-Armstrong, Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Alex Bregman, and Dansby Swanson are all Gold Glove finalists at their respective positions, and Crow-Armstrong, Matthew Boyd, and Nico Hoerner are finalists for different Player Choice Awards .
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While we wait for those awards to be announced, the Fielding Bible recently announced its 2026 season awards. Fielding Bible has awarded the best defensive players at every position and the team with the best defense annually since 2006.
To no surprise, the Cubs had some representation in these awards.
The big one was Crow-Armstrong winning Fielding Bible's Defensive Player of the Year. He won in a close vote and joins Ke'Bryan Hayes (2023), Daulton Varsho (2024), and Patrick Bailey (2025) as past winners.
Crow-Armstrong was easily the best defender in baseball this season. He ranked first in Fielding Run Value (26), Outs Above Average (26), Runs Prevented (23), and five- and four-star catches combined (22). The Cubs center fielder also ranked tied for eighth among all defenders in defensive runs saved.
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Alex Bregman also won the best defensive third baseman award this season. Bregman received 10 of 17 first-place votes at the position and won his first Fielding Bible award. His incredible defensive season at the hot corner shouldn't go unnoticed.
Bregman was tied with Matt Chapman for the most defensive runs saved on Fielding Bible (15) this season. But he had a leg up over Chapman in other categories, including Fielding Run Value, Outs Above Average, and Runs Prevented.
The veteran winning the Fielding Bible Award for his play at third base means the Cubs have had at least one winner at an infield spot in every season this award has existed.
The last award that the Cubs took home was a team award. The North Siders won Defensive Team of the Year. This marks the second straight year that Chicago has won this award.
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The Cubs were easily the best defensive team in baseball throughout the 2026 season. They ranked first in defensive runs saved with 115, and it wasn't particularly close. The next closest team was the Tampa Bay Rays with 87.
Chicago had a positive defensive runs saved at every position except first base (-2). Center field (19), third base (17), and right field (14) led the Cubs in 2026, while left field (9) and second base (8) contributed solid defensive numbers.
It was certainly an excellent defensive season for the Cubs.
