World Series 2016: Statistical and Positional Comparison
By Matt Veasey
SECOND BASE
Ben Zobrist played in 119 games at second base, 113 of those as starts, for the Cubs in the regular season.
Javier Baez, who has received the vast majority of playing time at the position during this postseason, appeared in 59 games at second base during the season, with 38 of those as starts.
Zobrist hit for a .272/.386/.446 slash line over 631 plate appearances in 147 games with 18 homers, 52 extra-base hits, 76 RBI, 94 runs scored, and a 124 OPS+ mark.
Baez hit for a .273/.314/.423 slash line in 450 plate appearances over 142 games with 14 homers, 59 RBI, 34 extra-base hits, 50 runs scored, 12 stolen bases, and a 96 OPS+ mark.
Zobrist has started at a half-dozen different positions, while Baez has made starts at five different spots. Maddon gets a ton of flexibility and versatility, not to mention production, from these two players.
For the Tribe, Jason Kipnis hit for a .275/.343/.469 slash line in 688 plate appearances over 156 games with 23 homers, 68 extra-base hits, 82 RBI, 91 runs scored, 15 steals, and a 107 OPS+ mark.
Defensively, Kipnis ranked 8th in Fangraphs WAR at the position, with Zobrist ranked 11th in baseball. The athletic Baez makes highlight reel plays, but also can make youthful mistakes.
Again, all three are good players. But as much as a gamer as Kipnis may be, and as talented as he is, the Cubs duo has just as much of both traits. Their positional versatility carries the day.