Cubs can’t spell ‘repeat’ without the ‘D,’ says Maddon

MESA, Ariz. — The Cubs’ pitching staff led the majors last season with a 3.15 ERA, 36 points better than the second-best team.

They also led the majors in turning balls in play into outs with 82 runs saved 31 more than the second-best team.

It doesn’t take a Ph.D. in sabermetrics to understand the magnitude of a group of fielders that saves a run every two games, or the impact that has on the quality of a pitching staff.

The question this spring, as Cubs manager Joe Maddon walks around camp in a “D-peat” T-shirt, isn’t so much whether they can do it again, but whether they can get even better at the often underrated catching-and-throwing part of the game.

“I think the amount of room that we have grown on defense is pretty substantial,” said shortstop Addison Russell, a Gold Glove finalist in his first full season in the majors last year. “I believe we’re just scratching the surface as far as how good we can be.”

Russell isn’t even counting the upgrades the Cubs could see in center field and behind the plate, depending on how often Albert Almora Jr. plays and what Willson Contreras looks like for a full season. They also could get a boost in the infield if Javy Baez gets more playing time than last year.

“We’re all getting better,” Russell said. “We’re all getting stronger, faster, more wise.”

The Cubs had four Gold Glove finalists last year, with right fielder Jason Heyward and first baseman Anthony Rizzo winning. Pitcher Jake Arrieta also was a finalist.

“Talking about D-peat, I like the way we’re catching the ball,” Maddon said of what he has seen in camp, especially when he discounts outfield play because of the often tough conditions in Arizona. “I think we’ve been looking really good on the dirt. That’s what I want us to really focus on, the defense, and I think it’s been outstanding.”

Maddon even has talked up the projected weak link, left fielder Kyle Schwarber. He lauded the way Schwarber tracked balls in left Thursday night and has said more than once this spring, “This guy played much better left field than he was given credit for [in 2015].”

Not that Schwarber puts Maddon’s “D” in “repeat,” but if the Cubs pull off another November finish, the T-shirt figures to tell an important part of the story.

“A big part of what people think of as pitching is really defense, too,” team president Theo Epstein said. “You can’t really separate the two. We’re trying to do everything we can to put pitchers in the position to have success, and that includes a strong defense behind them.”

NOTES: Anthony Rizzo missed his second consecutive game because of soreness in his lower back, but the Cubs said they don’t consider it serious. He could return Monday. “We’ve seen him in the past where he comes in with a little bit of a stiff back, and it normally goes away pretty quickly,” Maddon said.

υ Left-hander Rob Zastryzny said he felt fine Friday, the day after getting drilled on the calf by a ball hit back to the mound. He doesn’t expect to miss his next turn.

υ The Cubs’ top four starting pitchers will make their spring debuts the next four games: Kyle Hendricks on Saturday, Jon Lester on Sunday, Jake Arrieta on Monday and John Lackey on Tuesday.

Follow me on Twitter @GDubCub.

Email: gwittenmyer@suntimes.com