Seventh in the series. Today we look at the Cubs’ veteran second baseman.
28-year-old Nico Hoerner, two-time Gold Glover, potential .300 hitter, team leader, is entering the last year of his contract. Odds
favor his retention but probably not by much — there are a lot of wheels spinning.
Many fans would prefer that Dansby Swanson, subject of the previous profile, be moved somehow, and Nico installed at short, with Matt Shaw or a reasonable equivalent taking over at second. That’s somewhat more unlikely.
The Cubs would do a deal, at least theoretically, but are floating high demands for Hoerner’s services, and rightly so. Hoerner doesn’t hit for much power, instead preferring the high-average, contact-bat presence, which suits his skillset admirably. He could play in any era of baseball. He’s a ‘gamer,’ who ‘always shows up when the chips are down,’ almost to the degree that he’s taken for granted, and some writers have it that he is underappreciated nationally.
In seven seasons, three of which were partial campaigns, Hoerner has amassed a decent 21.8 bWAR (20 fWAR), bolstered by his excellent defense and baserunning. He has 6.2 and 5.5 bWAR seasons in his trophy case, but he has yet to appear in the Midsummer Classic.
Nico should be a perennial all-star. That he isn’t lends weight to those writerly complaints. Maybe it isn’t just a narrative.
Hopefully it doesn’t happen with another team. Hoerner could keep this production level well into his thirties, perhaps slowing some but adding a little thump to his plate presence.
Unless the Cubs really dial down the budget for 2027, someone is going to have to beat him out to take over his spot. Matt Shaw likely has the talent to do it, but he’ll have to demonstrate.
With Swanson, Hoerner, Alex Bregman and Michael Busch, the Cubs have perhaps the best defensive infield in the majors. They should be right up there offensively, with three of the four players regularly topping 20 homers and Hoerner flirting with .300, which is a difficult number to dial up these days. He’s penciled in to lead off against left-handers in our current understanding, and that will help promote that, along with allowing him to score even more runs and maybe up his OBP some more as well.
