In a season where bright spots have been few and far between for the Chicago Cubs, second baseman Darwin Barney created a career moment Wednesday night.
Barney set the National League record for most consecutive games at second base without an error, at 114. The previous record belonged to David Eckstein, when he lasted 113 games in 2010.
Cubs’ manager Dale Sveum commented on his second baseman’s achievement:
“He’s gone far and above preparation on an everyday basis to make himself better. It all started in Spring Training, the hours he put in and the extra time and the adjustments he made around the bag on the pivot, understanding about when he moves left and right, and using his glove and taking his bare hand out of the equation to get him more length through certain ground balls and angles and positioning.
“He’s made a conscious effort to be the best in baseball on an everyday basis. Not one day have I seen him take any ground balls off or take any days off. It’s been the same routine, same intensity every single day for him.”
Barney currently leads NL second basemen in fielding percent at .998, with only one error all the way back on April 17th. At this point you’d have to say that he is the favorite to win the gold glove.
The previous franchise record was held by Ryne Sandberg, who went 90 games back in 1989.
Even though Barney is a solid piece of the team’s young nucleus, don’t be surprised to hear his name come up in trade talks this off-season…
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If the .250 Darwin Barney is a “key part” of the Cubs future- I would say the Cubs future is in dire needs right now.
I mean- he’s Ryan Theriot/Mike Fontenot with a better glove. He’s a utility infielder/defensive replacement that can’t hit enough to be a full time player.
Not to mention- he’s got minimal power. I’d rather see Barney hit .290 with 1 homer than .250 with 6