Isaac Paredes had the defensive tools as a Cubs minor-leaguer; he returned a steady presence at third

Third baseman Isaac Paredes slowly raised his mitt along with the pitcher’s leg kick and stepped into his ready position — left, right. It was the same move every time Friday night, a foundation for his natural ability.

Much of the attention on Paredes since the Cubs acquired him from the Rays at the trade deadline has been on his bat, and for good reason: He has found a way to maintain an elite walk-to-strikeout ratio while consistently putting the ball in the air — including in a 7-6 win over the White Sox on Friday night in which he went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer, a strikeout and no walks.

With the focus on his offense, however, his defensive ability — and the stability he provides at third, which was part of his draw — has flown under the radar.

For Jonathan Mota, who coached Paredes, 25, in High-A South Bend and is now on the major-league staff, Paredes’ baseball IQ stood out from a young age.

“It was really, really high,” Mota said. “He was over his peers, defensively and offensively. I think offensively, he was ahead of his defense at the time, which, at that age, it’s hard to understand and be disciplined at the plate. And he’s just gotten better.”

Mota always emphasized a pre-pitch routine and setup to a teenage Paredes.

“It was a little inconsistent at the time,” Mota said. “And then, one of the first things he asked me, the first game [after the trade to the Cubs] was, ‘Hey, how’s my pre-pitch?’ ”

Mota told him not to change a thing.

Former Cubs prospect Zack Short, who played with Paredes in the minors and again with the Tigers in 2021, hosts “The Compound,” a podcast with left fielder Ian Happ.

“I’m telling you, that guy legitimately has some of the best hands I’ve ever seen in my entire life,” Short said recently on the podcast.

Different approaches work for different infielders. But what stands out about Paredes is the way he cushions the ball, whether he’s taking a drop step or moving through the ball.

“That was just a natural talent,” Paredes said through an interpreter. “And then, from there, it’s just more so just listening to what the coaches tell you, and what they may see and think.”

Mora has seen Paredes improve his footwork and pre-pitch efforts as he has played for two other organizations and developed into an All-Star. With the Cubs, he has joined an infield group that’s under team control through at least 2026.

“Consistency is so important,” shortstop Dansby Swanson said. “It can get overlooked at times. And I think that being able to build a lineup and unit that can be consistent, night in and night out, is really important. And obviously, you know [the front office] felt the same.”

The Cubs signed Swanson to a seven-year deal before the 2023 season. They gave second baseman Nico Hoerner a three-year contract extension and traded for rookie first baseman Michael Busch last offseason.

“All four of us covering the infield, we can do a lot of great things,” Paredes said.

His offensive contributions Friday, how-ever, will be the ones making the highlight reel. His two-run shot in the third helped give the Cubs enough of a cushion to weather the Sox’ comeback attempt against starter Jameson Taillon (8-6). Taillon surrendered five runs in the fourth and fifth combined, giving the Sox a shot at victory in their first game since firing manager Pedro Grifol.

But after Andrew Benintendi hit his second homer of the game, off Drew Smyly in the seventh, to cut the Cubs’ lead to one, closer Hector Neris escaped a bases-loaded jam of his own making in the ninth for the save.