RADIO
Nico Hoerner 2020 Outlook: Plus Hitter Who Might be Rushed
5 years agoAs it stands right now pre-spring training, it appears as though the Cubs will give Nico Hoerner an opportunity to win the starting second base gig for 2020. With that said, the club will have David Bote and David Descalso on hand to act as insulation against a freshman stumble. Injuries on the big league roster necessitated Hoerner’s big-league arrival in 2019 and he held his own in 78 at-bats. But keep in mind that he has just 70 games of experience above Low-A ball and his numbers in Double-A were good-but-not-great in 2019. So he may not be quite ready to permanently hold down the second base gig and, in a perfect world, a half-season in Triple-A would likely benefit both Hoerner and the Cubs in the long run. At present time, the young middle infielder is a singles hitter with some line-drive pop and the ability to steal the odd base. He can occasionally turn on a pitch but projects as more of a 15-homer guy in his prime (although who knows what can happen in this offense-juiced era). Hoerner won’t walk much because he makes a lot of contact but he could eventually be a .300 hitter in the Majors.
