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Over the winter the Chicago Cubs' main plan for improvement centered around adding more pitching depth, getting more left-handed and playing better defense.

After 16 games there does appear to be more balance on offense and the starting pitching is certainly more fortified in the case of injury.

The one area that still appears below average is the defense. Going into this series with the St. Louis Cardinals the Cubs have made 16 errors. Or a better way to break it down… they are on pace for 162 errors.

In the 2011 season the Cubs were the worst defensive team in baseball, making a major league-high 134 errors, not to mention the botched relay throws and poor positioning around the middle infield, which featured two inexperienced players in Starlin Castro and Darwin Barney. Castro (29) and Geovany Soto (13) had the most errors at their positions in the league last year.

On Sunday Soto made throwing errors on back-to-back plays, begging the question of whether this team has improved in this crucial area.

“We are taking pride in [the hopes] we are a lot better defensively,” Soto said. “We are working our tails off trying to improve in the areas we need to improve in. So I think we have improved on defense.”

One spot worth watching for improvement over the season is first base. Since 2004 the Cubs have had a Gold Glove-caliber first baseman, starting with Derrek Lee and ending with one great year of fielding by Carlos Pena. Bryan LaHair will give you a great effort, but until Anthony Rizzo is ready to be moved up to the parent club, balls in the dirt may not be scooped up like they have in the past.

Nothing says bad baseball to a fan base like a shoddy group of defenders, although improvement at third base and in right field are a nice addition to this year’s club. Ian Stewart and David DeJesus are top-notch defenders.

The jury is still out on the fielders’ chances of helping the pitching staff with better defense with only 10 percent of the season having been played.

The Chicago Police Department said Thursday the investigation into sexual assault allegations against Chicago Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro is ongoing, and Cubs owner Tom Ricketts said he hopes the matter is resolved "shortly."

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Chicago Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood hit All-Star shortstop Starlin Castro with a pitch on the right wrist during live batting practice on Monday.

Trainers came out to talk to Castro, who shook it off and took more cuts. Castro told me he was OK.

MESA, Ariz. – New Chicago Cubs manager Dale Sveum seems content with letting Starlin Castro dictate where he will hit in the Cubs' lineup.

Sveum has plenty of options for Castro, including the leadoff spot, but doesn't seem fixated on just one role for his young hitter.

“It's an intriguing question, and a lot of lineups are going to be out by the way guys perform in spring training because right now going in we don't have that bona fide leadoff, that bona fide third, fourth, fifth hitter, so we've got some guys that have had some success but not super at the big-league level,” Sveum said.

Castro has spent most of the time in his young career batting out of the leadoff spot and the No. 2 spot. In 339 plate-appearances as a leadoff hitter he is batting .323 with a .366 on-base percentage. He has 499 plate appearances in the second spot batting .318 with a .349 on-base mark.

Last season, though, he started his move toward the heart of the order. He actually had more plate appearances in the No. 3 hole (187) than the No. 2 spot (184). He started 42 games at each spot.

“You can make numbers look any way you want but there's always that decision to make with great hitters like that,” Sveum said. “When do we put him in that three or four or five spot? It comes a time where you can't just sit there all the time like he's comfortable in the two spot and leave him there when we need him in other spots.”

The Chicago Police Department is expecting to talk to Chicago Cubs star Starlin Castro about a sexual assault accusation when the All-Star shortstop is in town for this weekend's fan convention, according to a source familiar with the situation.

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Chicago police say they are investigating an accusation that Chicago Cubs All-Star Starlin Castro sexually assaulted a woman last fall, but no charges have been filed at this time and Castro's representatives deny the allegation.

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There were times this year when Chicago Cubs manager Mike Quade was frustrated with Starlin Castro, especially defensively.

But new president of baseball operations Theo Epstein was nothing but optimistic about his 21-year-old shortstop, who was the Cubs' lone All-Star this season.

"This kid is only 21 years old, most 21-year-olds are maybe getting to High-A ball and thinking about sniffing Double-AA," Epstein said Wednesday on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000.

Castro made 29 errors in 2011 and had a .961 fielding percentage this year, but he led the National League with 207 hits.

"When Derek Jeter was just about the same age he made 56 errors in the low minor leagues," Epstein said. "[With] defense especially there is maturation that only comes with time and experience.

"Offensively, the things he has done is what guys who go on to be ten-time All-Stars and Hall of Famers do. Again it's our jobs as management to get to know him and help him reach his ceiling, and in his case his ceiling is immense. ... This kid has a chance to be a great all-around player, not just one with tremendous physical ability."