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Chicago Cubs second baseman/third baseman/shortstop Nico Hoerner is a fantasy baseball waiver wire pickup and add heading into Week 8 of the MLB season.
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12-Team Leagues
ROSTERED IN: 34% of leagues
ANALYSIS: Before going on the injured list with a left forearm strain, Chicago Cubs infielder Nico Hoerner (forearm) was showing a lot to be excited about. He was called up in mid-April and went on to slash .389/.500/.556 over 11 games, hitting six doubles, stealing three bases and tallying seven RBI.
Hoerner struggled to make strong contact during his 48 games in the Majors in 2020. He had a barrel rate of just 1.2% and an xSLG of just .312. Through 11 games this year, both of those metrics look much more healthy as he has a 3.4% barrel rate and .417 xSLG. Hoerner isn't likely to deliver much in terms of power anytime soon, but he could be a strong asset in batting average, on-base percentage and stolen bases.
At Double-A in 2019, he slashed .292/.349/.403 with eight stolen bases and only 32 strikeouts over 75 games. He's shown signs of that strong plate discipline from the Minors so far this year as he has a 15.9% strikeout rate and an 18.2% walk rate.
Hoerner is expected to be activated prior to Friday's game against the Detroit Tigers and has probably been officially activated (and even back on the field) by the time many fantasy managers have read this post. He is worth adding for anyone who needs second base or general infield help in their leagues.
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