{"id":45190,"date":"2025-03-30T01:28:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-30T01:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=45190"},"modified":"2025-03-30T01:28:00","modified_gmt":"2025-03-30T01:28:00","slug":"it-can-win-games-how-the-chicago-cubs-want-to-make-smart-aggressive-baserunning-part-of-their-identity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=45190","title":{"rendered":"\u2018It can win games\u2019: How the Chicago Cubs want to make smart, aggressive baserunning part of their identity"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

PHOENIX \u2014 The messaging has been instilled since the start of spring training.<\/p>\n

Third-base coach Quintin Berry oversees the Chicago Cubs\u2019 baserunning responsibility with first-base coach Jose Javier, both of whom are in their first season with the organization. Over the last six weeks, Berry has preached fighting for every inch as the Cubs look to use their baserunning to be a separator against opponents.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur guys have to understand you have to be engaged \u2014 it\u2019s hard, it\u2019s very difficult, to stay engaged,\u201d Berry said. \u201cUnderstand there\u2019s opportunities to win with two outs, getting to the next base, doing things that\u2019s selfless and being able to be there for your teammate and get to that next base, score from first, score from second with two outs, win those moments.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur guys are really trying to take that all in and make that our identity.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Cubs put that mentality on display in their domestic opener Thursday during a 10-6 win against the Arizona Diamondbacks\u00a0(they lost Game 2 of the series 8-1 on Friday). Pete Crow-Armstrong got a superb secondary lead and jump to beat a throw to second base on a routine grounder with two outs to load the bases, setting up Miguel Amaya\u2019s three-run double. In that same game, Matt Shaw showed off his speed and baserunning IQ as he scored from first base three times.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest thing you can do is just be on time with your secondary,\u201d Shaw told the Tribune. \u201cWe\u2019ve worked on it, you just need to be on time when the ball\u2019s hit and you\u2019re landing, ready to go. \u2026 Being ready to run, expecting the ball to be put in play.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone\u2019s responded to it really well, we\u2019re all in it together. We understand it\u2019s important, it can win games.\u201d<\/p>\n

Manager Craig Counsell believes the Cubs\u2019 baserunning can be a team strength and wants them to take advantage of that.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying to get some of those details as good as we can, a day like (Thursday), it helps,\u201d Counsell said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s what you\u2019re after. Most days it goes unnoticed, and that\u2019s kind of fine, but we\u2019re trying to as a group make it important to each other. We\u2019re going to try to keep doing it and you hope to gain little edges and you hope the little edges will turn into a big advantage like it did (Thursday) night.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Cubs are an intriguing running team because of their mix of speed and base-stealing ability \u2014 Crow-Armstrong and Nico Hoerner in particular \u2014 with veterans who have shown high IQ on base, a group that includes Ian Happ, Kyle Tucker and Dansby Swanson. The additions of Jon Berti, Shaw and Vidal Bruj\u00e1n, who is currently on the injured list, gives the Cubs in totality a different personnel group to better tap into on the baserunning side compared with their 2024 roster.<\/p>\n

\"\u2018It
Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner, left, and third baseman Matt Shaw celebrate after scoring against the Diamondbacks during the ninth inning on March 27, 2025, in Phoenix. (Ross D. Franklin\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Expect to see Berry be aggressive with his decisions.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt makes my job easy, everybody\u2019s athletic, everybody can run a little bit,\u201d Berry said. \u201cSo for me, it takes pressure off of me, especially at third base. I told everybody I\u2019m going to send everybody if I get the opportunity to, you\u2019re going to get sent. So I don\u2019t feel like they\u2019re going to put me in a bad position, I think they\u2019re going to give me every chance to make the right call. I love it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The majority of buy-in and being elite at baserunning comes on the mental side. Players have to want to be great at it. Technique is important too. Berry credited Javier and minor-league offensive coordinator Matt Talarico for giving players ways to visually see and implement the teaching and cues.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of things that happen in this game, it\u2019s hard,\u201d Berry said. \u201cYou go through ups and downs, you feel sorry for yourself or get caught in your own head. But for you to get out there when it\u2019s not on your stat card, it\u2019s not something that\u2019s going to show up on the stat sheet, to do something for the team is huge, and it\u2019s all in the mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Cubs know they will inevitably experience days at Wrigley Field when the wind is blowing in and runs are difficult to score, especially on cold days in April or chilly October nights. They are confident the offense is capable of producing in different ways that won\u2019t always rely on extra-base hits. Their baserunning ability and aggressiveness will play an important role in making that versatility a consistent reality.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know how important it is being part of playoff teams and coming in to pinch run, I know how valuable it is,\u201d Berry said. \u201cI know how important it is. I know how it can help you win ballgames, big ballgames. And I think it\u2019s something that you can\u2019t take lightly. You\u2019ve got to put the time in. You\u2019ve got to put the work in. You\u2019ve got to have the right mentality.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell believes baserunning can be a team strength and wants his players to take advantage of that.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":45191,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[1390,282,823,992,200,1391,317,227,1086],"class_list":["post-45190","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb","tag-baserunning","tag-chicago-cubs","tag-craig-counsell","tag-dansby-swanson","tag-ian-happ","tag-jon-berti","tag-kyle-tucker","tag-nico-hoerner","tag-pete-crow-armstrong"],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018It can win games\u2019: How the Chicago Cubs want to make smart, aggressive baserunning part of their identity - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=45190\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018It can win games\u2019: How the Chicago Cubs want to make smart, aggressive baserunning part of their identity - 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