Chicago Cubs fans feel about Darwin Barney the same way hungry people feel about peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. They are alright, but they aren’t a big fat steak.

Barney’s offensive numbers sit near the middle of the major league rankings for the infield position with the least offensive expectations. He is batting .263 with 4 home runs, 27 RBI and 6 stolen bases. His offensive WAR is 1.0. Average for an MLB second sacker.

When Barney leaves his bat in the dugout and trots his glove out to the infield, he is anything but average. He is above average. The league’s best.

Barney leads all second baseman with a .998 fielding percentage. His 3.1 defensive WAR is 1.8 games higher than the second best second baseman. According to ESPN’s Range Factor, only Colorado Rockies second baseman Marco Scutaro gets to more balls (Scutaro’s fielding percentage is .983 with a -0.2 defensive WAR).

The conversation about whether or not Darwin Barney fits into the Cubs rebuilding plans ends with Barney’s defense. He simply plays the position better than anyone else. He may not man a premium infield position, but he does play premium defense.

The improved defense of shortstop Starlin Castro (13 errors to 29 last year) creates one of the best double play combinations in baseball. The Cubs biggest need, solid young arms, will be aided in their development by the sound defense of Barney and Castro for years to come.

The Big Guy