Chicago Cubs: Welcome to the Show, Nico Hoerner

Cubs top prospect Nico Hoerner is getting the call to the bigs with the need arising at SS.  Hoerner is the latest 1st round bat drafted by the Cubs, following the likes of Javier Baez, Kyle Schwarber, Ian Happ, and Kris Bryant.

With Javier Baez dealing with a hairline fracture in his hand and Addison Russell dealing with a concussion after being hit in the head, the Chicago Cubs are lacking at the SS position with David Bote being the most realistic option despite profiling better at a corner.  In response, Nico Hoerner is coming from the minor leagues and will undergo trial by fire as the Cubs battle for a postseason Wild Card and Division berth.

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Cubs brass had their hand forced by injury as many expected Hoerner to feature prominently in the Arizona Fall League rather than the MLB roster.  Hoerner was drafted by the Cubs in the first round out of Stanford in the 2018 draft.  At the start of the season, he was assigned to rookie ball before rising to AA and hitting a very good .284/.344/.399 (117 wRC+).

Hoerner has been a primary SS but has also split time at 2B.  Longterm, even if he can stick at SS, the existence of Javier Baez on the roster will likely push Hoerner into a 2B/CF back up SS type of role that teams covet these days.

To say that Hoerner has been rushed to the majors is an understatement however, there is a potential hidden advantage to him getting called up the way he did.  Hoerner has displayed excellent bat to ball skills evidenced by a 10.5% K rate and a 7.1 BB rate.  Since Hoerner didn’t make it to AAA this season, he has yet to hit against the juiced ball which could increase his modest AA power numbers.

With his proclivity for contact and a more explosive baseball, Hoerner could end up having a huge impact in the Cubs chances of returning to the postseason.  Part of getting an MLB opportunity is team need and the need at SS has arrived for the Cubs.  Maybe just maybe Hoerner can be the missing cog for a Cubs team in desperate need of momentum to close the gap on the Cardinals.