The Cubs’ middle-infield duo of Javy Báez and Nico Hoerner turned a truly impressive double-play last night, which got some attention in the moment.
First, the normal view, here’s the play and some of the reactions:
Javy with the reaction! pic.twitter.com/Zufi00D3vt
— Scott Changnon (@ScottyChags) March 18, 2021
Plenty awesome as it is.
But MLB just sent out a field-level view of the play, which REALLY highlighted just how awesome the turn was at second base by Hoerner, and I had to share it:
This double play was smooth. 👀 pic.twitter.com/tJTZVnXMxf
— MLB (@MLB) March 18, 2021
The execution on the leap by Hoerner. Wow. Receiving, stepping, jumping, and throwing all in a single motion – aided, of course, by the perfect timing on the delivery by Báez.
Whether Hoerner makes the Cubs’ Opening Day roster or not, there’s little question that he’ll impact the big league team at some point this year, just as he did last year when he was a Gold Glove finalist (one of a whopping seven on the Cubs). The bat needs work, but the glove – even at second base, where he just started working last year – is more than ready. He’s a special player out there, and having him play next to Javy Báez is all the more compelling.
I doubt there’s a better defensive middle infield on paper in baseball right now.