Chicago Cubs: Despite flashy additions by Brewers, Cubs still reign in Central

Can’t touch this

The middle infield duo of Javier Baez and Addison Russell is by far one of the best in the game. They combined to hit 35 home runs and posted a combined 3.6 Wins Above Replacement, according to Fangraphs.

Meanwhile, the Brewers middle infield combination of speedster Jonathan Villar
and Orlando Arcia hit a combined 26 home runs and were only worth a combined 0.7 Wins Above Replacement, per Fangraphs.

Comparatively, Addison Russell played in just 110 games last season posting an 84 wRC+. His positional divisional counterpart Orlando Arcia finished his campaign with an 85 wRC+ in 153 games.

Given these points, it does not seem to be as close a positional race as thought after all. The Cubs do need Russell to be healthy in 2018 and to produce, but even with the down year last year, this position comparison isn’t close.

Verdict: Cubs