Chicago Cubs: Addison Russell’s chances of an NL Gold Glove

With so many talented shortstops in the National League, could the Chicago Cubs’ Addison Russell stand tall and win the Gold Glove?

Now that former starting shortstop and Chicago Cubs’ All-Star, Starlin Castro is in his pinstripe uniform for the New York Yankees, Addison Russell has the shortstop position all to himself. With no competition and the opportunity to play 150 plus games at short, the baseball world will be able to see what the Chicago Cubs’ front office saw in Russell’s glove. But is his glove so good that is could be “golden”?

The road to a prestigious gold glove did get a lot easier with the big trade the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Angels made involving Andrelton Simmons, who is arguably the best defensive player in all of baseball. Troy Tulowitzki, who was traded last year to Toronto, also was a contender for the best defensive shortstop.

Now Russell could be the front-runner. Likely, Russell’s biggest competition for the gold glove will be San Francisco’s Brandon Crawford. Comparing last season’s numbers will not give you a fair look at how both shortstops compare.

In the 2015 season, Crawford started in 136 games and posted a .979 fielding percentage, 89 double plays turned, and 13 errors committed.

Russell in 2015 started in 53 games at short, played 61 games as the Cubs shortstop, held a .981 fielding percentage, turned 29 double plays while committing only four errors.

Again, it’s a small sample size to look at for Russell, but one can expect that with a full offseason and spring training to word solely as the primary shortstop for the Chicago Cubs, you can bet that Russell will display the glove that many said were the best in the minor league system as far as shortstops go.

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He is another year older and will have all the chances in the world to show everyone how great he can be defensively and it is very likely that he will be the best glove that the Chicago Cubs will have in their entire organization.