In case you were wondering how much confidence the Cubs have in prospect Nico Hoerner, the latest news regarding his 2019 assignment certainly hints at what they think about the middle infielder. Despite playing in only 14 games last year, the 2018 first-round pick will reportedly begin this year at Double-A Tennessee.
That means Hoerner will skip High-A Ball at Myrtle Beach after only playing in seven games at Eugene and four games at South Bend last season. He also played a few games at rookie ball in Arizona before going to Single-A.
As Evan Altman of Cubs Insider said, at this point it was expected that Hoerner would make the jump straight to Double-A. Despite having less than 50 at-bats in the minors, Hoerner came back from a shoulder injury and played in the competitive Arizona Fall League. He made the All-Star Game for that league and finished with a slash line of .337/.362/.506, in 21 games. Scouts, coaches and his peers raved about Hoerner in the fall and then he just kept on hitting in Spring Training. Hoerner hit .471/.550/1.059, with a home run, two triples and three doubles. At one point he reached base in eight straight plate appearances. By skipping Advanced A-Ball in Myrtle Beach, Hoerner will continue to start at shortstop every day. This decision certainly points to the Cubs envisioning Hoerner being a part of the MLB team relatively soon. By 2020, he may just be starting at Wrigley Field.
Loading comments...