Chicago Cubs' latest coaching hire could signal emphasis on baserunning improvement

The Chicago Cubs continue to replace former manager David Ross's coaching staff and have hired former New York Yankees minor leaguer Jose Javier as the team's first base coach.

The Athletic's Sahadev Sharma broke the news on Friday afternoon, reporting that Javier spent last year with the Yankees's Triple-A affiliate, where his coaching apparently focused on outfield defense and baserunning. Before working as a coach, the 32-year-old Javier spent six seasons in the Yankees' minor league system where he reached the organization's Single-A affiliate. He was originally signed as an international free agent from the Dominican Republic.

The move comes less than two weeks after former first base coach Mike Napoli was hired by the division-rival Cincinnati Reds. Javier's early coaching profile seems to match up with 22-year-old Pete Crow-Armstrong, who is both an elite defender and baserunner. With Crow-Armstrong positioned to be the everyday center fielder next season, his skills will need to be refined. The young outfielder showed flashes of stepping into a prominent role, but he also struggled mightily for much of the season. His legs will undoubtedly be a cornerstone of his game both offensively and defensively, and the Cubs may be signaling more of a focus on speed with their coaching additions.

Will baserunning be a priority in 2025?

Although the final roster is far from finalized, and rumors are flying everywhere that Nico Hoerner could be traded this offseason, the 2025 Cubs should have a lot of solid speed on the roster. In just 373 at-bats in 2024, the speedy rookie was able to steal 27, a fantastic mark for an average base-stealer in MLB. But Crow-Armstrong is not your average baserunner, as his sprint speed ranks among the fastest in the league alongside other stars like Elly De La Cruz and Bobby Witt Jr. With an adjusted plate approach and more workload, Crow-Armstrong could give De La Cruz a run for his money atop the stolen base category.

Hoerner has stolen an impressive 94 bags over his last three seasons. Even if he is traded, his replacement would likely be Matt Shaw, who is arguably an equal threat on the bases and has 46 steals in 159 minor-league games. Others like Cody Bellinger, Ian Happ, and Dansby Swanson are not necessarily huge stolen base threats but are solid baserunners nonetheless.

That being said, baserunning mistakes popped up throughout the Cubs' 2024 season, and getting thrown out at home plate was a particular issue that was heavily scrutinized in June. Third base coach Willie Harris was also let go earlier this offseason and replaced by Quintin Berry. Counsell and Berry coached in Milwaukee together for three seasons, and he has been credited for helping the Brewers heavily incorporate baserunning in their offense. The Brewers finished second in MLB with 217 stolen bases in 2024 (the Cubs were 8th with 143).

After hiring Javier and Berry, the Cubs could be looking to improve on the base paths and have more of an emphasis on speed.