What a crazy week it’s been for Chicago Cubs prospect – yup, still a prospect – Nico Hoerner. From chilling on his couch after his minor league season was over, to getting a call that he was needed in San Diego, to working pro at bats and providing a spark for the big league offense.
Yesterday, he got to make his Wrigley Field debut, and it was perfect. I am still enjoying this particular moment, and also how impressively he went down and got this one while barreling it up:
First game at Wrigley Field.
First at-bat at Wrigley Field.
First pitch seen at Wrigley Field.First career home run.#EverybodyIn @budweiserusa pic.twitter.com/6fzH0tbgc1
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) September 14, 2019
Hoerner is starting again at shortstop today for the Cubs, filling in for Javy Baez (regular season over with a fractured thumb) and Addison Russell (concussion protocol). How long will that job last for him? What happens with Russell returns?
Well, it doesn’t sound like Hoerner is immediately going to hit the bench:
Addison Russell is currently in MLB's concussion protocol. What's the plan when he's cleared to return?
Maddon: "We'll play that one by ear as it moves along. Addy is a Gold Glove-caliber shortstop — there's no question. But, what Nico's doing right now cannot be overlooked."
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) September 14, 2019
Indeed. Hoerner is hitting .350/.435/.600 (159 wRC+) through 23 PAs, with a 13.0% BB rate and an 8.7% K rate. The sample is tiny, but the results have been great:
Jon Lester, on Nico Hoerner:
"He's been a little bit of a spark plug for us. Any time you add energy like that, especially kind of the naive-ness of it, just not knowing what to expect and just going and playing baseball, sometimes we all need to get back to that."
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) September 14, 2019