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Chicago Cubs: Is Addison Russell Under-appreciated?

By Jason Burke

Sep 1, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs shortstop Addison Russell (27) runs to first base after hitting two RBI single off San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Cory Gearrin (not pictured) during the seventh inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 1, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs shortstop Addison Russell (27) runs to first base after hitting two RBI single off San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Cory Gearrin (not pictured) during the seventh inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Chicago Cubs have plenty of offensive firepower with which to beat opposing teams, with the two key players that most fans can name being NL MVP hopefuls Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo. Yet, Addison Russell is the third head of one of the most potent offenses in baseball.

Surely Bryant and Rizzo are the better overall offensive players, but Russell is creeping up on 100 RBI thanks in large part to team-leading 25 multi-RBI games, which has certainly helped his team along in the standings. According to FanGraphs, the Cubs shortstop ranks seventh at his position in WAR at 3.6, third in the NL behind Corey Seager who leads all shortstops with a 6.8, and Brandon Crawford‘s 4.8.

Russell’s RBI have come at key times, as he had collected eleven game-winning RBI coming into Saturday’s game and 19 of his RBI have been go-ahead jobs.

Russell’s defense is at least on par with the other shortstops ahead of him, but it’s his bat that has hindered his rising up the rankings. Even with 19 homers and 88 driven in, his .243 batting average and .326 on-base percentage lag a bit behind.

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This is partly due to a low BABIP, which sits at just .285, while a player like Crawford who is batting .274 has a BABIP of .314. Interestingly enough, Russell and Crawford are tied in defensive runs saves (per FanGraphs) with 17 apiece. Crawford won the Gold Glove last year as a 28 year old. Russell is just 22.

Russell leads all NL shortstops in RBI, and only trails Houston Astros star Carlos Correa who has 90. As far as Cubs history goes, Russell is the first shortstop in the team’s history to reach 88 runs batted in since Ernie Banks totaled 117 back in 1960, and the youngest to reach that feat since 1913 when a 22-year-old Vic Saier recorded 92. Russell is on pace to drive home 106.

The defensive ability is already there for the Cubs shortstop, but if he can raise his batting average just a bit (just needs a higher BABIP, which is partly due to luck) then he could really begin to challenge for the best all-around shortstop in the game. Seager has the nice offensive numbers, but his defense is nowhere near Russell’s (0 runs saved, league average), while Addison’s wRC+ sits at 99, which is just about league average at the plate.

Next: Former Top Prospects Excelling in 2016

The player that improves upon their area of need first will likely be anointed the best all-around shortstop in the game for a period of time, but at the very least there are a slew of players at the position that could challenge for that title, adding Francisco Lindor, Correa, Xander Bogaerts and potentially prospects J.P. Crawford and Orlando Arcia to the list.

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