Nico Hoerner

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Chicago Cubs #2 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: During his career at Stanford and his summers in the Northwoods and Cape Cod leagues, Hoerner exhibited all the traits of a professional hitter. The Cubs were confident enough in Hoerner's hitting track record that they drafted him 24th overall in 2018, then watched as he made it to low Class A after just 10 games. An elbow strain ended his regular season, but Hoerner sidelined him until the Arizona Fall League, where he shined. Hoerner spent his first full year at Double-A. He missed the bulk of the regular season with a broken hand, but once again shined later in the season, this time as a September callup.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Hoerner entered pro ball as an accomplished hitter, but he still had polish to add. The Cubs focused early in the season on adjusting Hoerner's stance and approach to allow him to work the ball to the left-center field gap more often. The adjustments also allowed Hoerner to pull breaking balls in the air with more regularity. Those changes quickly took hold and made Hoerner into a more complete hitter and allowed him to put his best swing on more pitches. Defensively, he still has a chance to play shortstop, but he's more likely to slide over to second base as his career moves along—especially considering Javier Baez has shortstop well in hand. He's an average runner but his instincts amplify his pure speed.
  
  THE FUTURE: Hoerner fared well in his big league debut and could compete for a return engagement out of spring training. Hoerner should settle in as an offensive-minded infielder.
• 
  Ranked Chicago Cubs #1 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: While he was never a thumper during his three seasons at Stanford, Hoerner stood out for his ability to make consistent quality contact. He never had a strikeout rate higher than 12.5 percent in any season. He also showed aptitude with wood bats by hitting better than .300 in both the Northwoods and Cape Cod leagues. Combine those skills with his leadership qualities up the middle, and it was an easy call for the Cubs to draft Hoerner 24th overall and sign him for $2,724,000. His pro career started with a bang when he hit the first pitch he saw in the Rookie-level Arizona League for a triple. He moved quickly through the AZL and short-season Eugene before arriving at the low Class A South Bend. His regular season stopped there when he strained a ligament in his left elbow. He recovered in time for an assignment to the Arizona Fall League, where he produced an .867 OPS over 21 games.
  
  Scouting Report: In an era where big strikeout totals are common, Hoerner's knack for putting the bat on the ball stands out, but that contact did not come with a significant skew toward one side of the field. He sprayed line drives from gap to gap, though most of his power was to his pull side. As suggested by his contact skills, Hoerner also showed an excellent approach with two strikes and did not give away at-bats. Those skills give him a chance to be a plus hitter with below-average power. Defensively, he's not going to wow evaluators with highlight reel plays or extraordinary range, but he's not going to make many foolish mistakes, either. The Cubs compare him with the Cardinals' Paul DeJong, who doesn't jump off the page at shortstop but has managed to stick there because of his instincts. Hoerner has the arm strength to stick at shortstop but needs to become more consistent with his mechanics. Specifically, the Cubs want him to work through the ball more often when he throws and use his momentum to keep the ball true to his target. The Cubs see a scenario where Hoerner's athleticism would allow him to move around the diamond, like Ian Happ.
  
  The Future: Though Hoerner's time in South Bend was short, his college pedigree and successful stint in the AFL will likely allow the Cubs to move him to high Class A Myrtle Beach in 2019. He will continue to try to solidify a permanent role at shortstop while further proving his hit tool against more experienced pitchers.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #42 prospect in 2018 draft
  Named to the All-Pac-12 team and All-Pac-12 defensive team after his sophomore season in 2017, Hoerner has a solid, all-around skillset and an impressive track record at Stanford and in the Cape Cod League last summer. While Hoerner has no true standout carrying tool, he's played a respectable shortstop with the Cardinal the past two years after playing mostly at second base as a freshman. He also has an impressive history with the bat. In two summers in wood bat leagues, Hoerner has hit over .300 and teams are intrigued by the increase in power that the 5-foot-11 infielder showed after hitting six home runs in 40 games last summer on the Cape. Teams that like Hoerner will see a player with a shot to stick at shortstop with strong hands in the box, a good strikeout-to-walk ratio and impressive exit velocities. Teams who are on the opposite side will see a player who''s likely a second baseman without the power profile they are looking for. Either way, college infielders who perform tend to get drafted high and Hoerner has performed in both the spring and summer with no gaping holes in his game.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Southern League #15 prospect in 2019
  The Cubs drafted Hoerner 24th overall in 2018 but didn’t have to wait long to see a return on their investment. He reached Chicago as a September callup this season after a successful but injury-interrupted season in the Southern League. Hoerner had no trouble jumping to Double-A in his first full pro season. He hit .300/.391/.500 in April, showing strike zone mastery and elite bat-to-ball skills before he fractured his left wrist and missed May and June. Hoerner uses an inside-out swing to deposit hits all over the field, but he can find the seats when he hunts his pitch. Multiple evaluators used the word "grinder” to describe Hoerner, meaning that his raw tools don’t overwhelm but that his skill level and game awareness make him a winning player. He is a dependable fielder at shortstop and second base with an accurate arm, and the Cubs deployed him in 11 games in center field after he returned from the Tennessee injured list to enhance his versatility.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #40 prospect in 2020

• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: During his career at Stanford and his summers in the Northwoods and Cape Cod leagues, Hoerner exhibited all the traits of a professional hitter. The Cubs were confident enough in Hoerner’s hitting track record that they drafted him 24th overall in 2018, then watched as he made it to low Class A after just 10 games. An elbow strain ended his regular season, but Hoerner sidelined him until the Arizona Fall League, where he shined. Hoerner spent his first full year at Double-A. He missed the bulk of the regular season with a broken hand, but once again shined later in the season, this time as a September callup.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Hoerner entered pro ball as an accomplished hitter, but he still had polish to add. The Cubs focused early in the season on adjusting Hoerner’s stance and approach to allow him to work the ball to the left-center field gap more often. The adjustments also allowed Hoerner to pull breaking balls in the air with more regularity. Those changes quickly took hold and made Hoerner into a more complete hitter and allowed him to put his best swing on more pitches. Defensively, he still has a chance to play shortstop, but he’s more likely to slide over to second base as his career moves along—especially considering Javier Baez has shortstop well in hand. He’s an average runner but his instincts amplify his pure speed.
  
  THE FUTURE: Hoerner fared well in his big league debut and could compete for a return engagement out of spring training. Hoerner should settle in as an offensive-minded infielder.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: During his career at Stanford and his summers in the Northwoods and Cape Cod leagues, Hoerner exhibited all the traits of a professional hitter. The Cubs were confident enough in Hoerner's hitting track record that they drafted him 24th overall in 2018, then watched as he made it to low Class A after just 10 games. An elbow strain ended his regular season, but Hoerner sidelined him until the Arizona Fall League, where he shined. Hoerner spent his first full year at Double-A. He missed the bulk of the regular season with a broken hand, but once again shined later in the season, this time as a September callup.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Hoerner entered pro ball as an accomplished hitter, but he still had polish to add. The Cubs focused early in the season on adjusting Hoerner's stance and approach to allow him to work the ball to the left-center field gap more often. The adjustments also allowed Hoerner to pull breaking balls in the air with more regularity. Those changes quickly took hold and made Hoerner into a more complete hitter and allowed him to put his best swing on more pitches. Defensively, he still has a chance to play shortstop, but he's more likely to slide over to second base as his career moves along—especially considering Javier Baez has shortstop well in hand. He's an average runner but his instincts amplify his pure speed.
  
  THE FUTURE: Hoerner fared well in his big league debut and could compete for a return engagement out of spring training. Hoerner should settle in as an offensive-minded infielder.
• December, 2018 Scouting Report
  The Cubs drafted Hoerner 24th overall in 2018 but didn’t have to wait long to see a return on their investment. He reached Chicago as a September callup this season after a successful but injury-interrupted season in the Southern League. Hoerner had no trouble jumping to Double-A in his first full pro season. He hit .300/.391/.500 in April, showing strike zone mastery and elite bat-to-ball skills before he fractured his left wrist and missed May and June. Hoerner uses an inside-out swing to deposit hits all over the field, but he can find the seats when he hunts his pitch. Multiple evaluators used the word "grinder” to describe Hoerner, meaning that his raw tools don’t overwhelm but that his skill level and game awareness make him a winning player. He is a dependable fielder at shortstop and second base with an accurate arm, and the Cubs deployed him in 11 games in center field after he returned from the Tennessee injured list to enhance his versatility.
• July, 2018 Scouting Report
  The Cubs have been incredibly successful at drafting college hitters in recent years, and they went back to that strategy this year when they made Hoerner their first-round selection out of Stanford. Hoerner bolstered his resume with two strong summers swinging wood, and finished his amateur career with a strong junior season. Hoerner doesn’t project to hit for much power, but the offensive pedigree to be an everyday player is there even if he has to move to second base. His pro debut was cut short, however, due to a ligament strain in his left elbow suffered diving for a ball. He will miss the rest of the season.