Nico Hoerner Wins Fielding Bible Award, Cubs Named Defensive Team of the Year
The 2016 Chicago Cubs, who won the World Series after a dominant regular season, prided themselves on defense. Now that Jed Hoyer is in charge, he has taken a similar approach, focusing on strong gloves all across the field. Everywhere you look on the 2025 roster, there’s a capable defender. Six Cubs are eligible for Gold Glove Awards, which is another testament to the incredible defensive performance the team displayed throughout the season.
OUR GOLD GLOVE LEFT FIELDER. pic.twitter.com/coC97Tj2Ki
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 5, 2025
The 2025 Fielding Bible Awards gave even more credit to the Cubs. Sports Info Solutions (SIS), the company that developed Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), honors the best defenders each year. It is the 20th season of the awards, although some recent changes have been made. Patrick Bailey of the San Francisco Giants won the third annual Defensive Player of the Year Award, while the Cubs were named the Defensive Team of the Year.
Fans and analysts use many different statistics to evaluate defensive talent. The Cubs excelled in all of them. Craig Counsell‘s team finished the season with 84 DRS, only five fewer than the Rangers for the most in baseball. Their 60 errors were the third fewest in the sport, minimizing mistakes as much as possible. They earned 30 Outs Above Average (OAA), which was the fourth best in baseball, and ranked second in Fielding Run Value (FRV) with 40. Eight of the nine positions on the field ended the year with a positive DRS, with right field, manned by Kyle Tucker and Seiya Suzuki, being the one negative area, mainly due to Tucker’s injury.
As Hoyer mentioned after Game 3, this elite defense likely won them the National League Wild Card Series against the San Diego Padres. Swanson showed off his excellent play at shortstop, with Mike Shildt saying that the veteran’s defense was a major reason the Cubs came out on top in the series.
Hoerner was the lone Cub to receive an individual award, ending the season tied for fifth place with 17 DRS. His 14 OAA ranked 10th in the sport. Not much needs to be said to explain this selection. The 28-year-old is a master at his craft, acting as a vacuum at second base. He should be a shoo-in for the Gold Glove Award at second base.
44 seconds of Nico Hoerner being an elite defender pic.twitter.com/s02DpKMuow
— The Wrigley Wire (@TheWrigleyWire) October 22, 2025
