Chicago Cubs: The Land of Misfit Toys
David Bote and/or Ian Happ and/or Nico Hoerner
The other option for Bote is to move him to third base, the likely outgrowth of any trade that ships Bryant out of town. If that happens, the Chicago Cubs will become reliant on the emergence of rookie Nico Hoerner at second.
Hoerner, who will be 22 on opening day, was the 24th overall pick in the 2018 draft. Called up in early September when an injury sidelined Russell, he made a big early impression. In 20 games he batted .282 with three home runs.
That showing included a three-hit debut against the Padres Sept. 9 and an 11-for-29 first week. The rest of Hoerner’s experience, however, did not go as well. In seven pressure-packed games with St. Louis down the stretch, Hoerner batted just .214 with just one extra-base hit. The Cubs, by the way, lost all seven and fell out of the post-season picture.
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Given his youth, his inexperience and the fact that his minor league career ended at Double-A, it’s no given thing that Hoerner is ready for full-time duty at second. That presumably will be determined in spring training.
Atop the loss of Castellanos, trading Bryant then could leave new manager David Ross dependent on a lineup featuring three former No. 1 draft picks, none of whom has yet blossomed. He would be penciling in the unproven Bote at third, the unproven Hoerner or the unproven Happ at second, and the unproven Happ or the unproven Almora in center.
And if the Cubs keep Bryant, that makes the second base fight a three-way contest between Happ, Bote, and Hoerner, all of them unproven.