(Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Few Chicago Cubs players had better springs than Nico Hoerner. He looked stronger, certainly more sure of himself, and his stats were good: 16-for-44, 8 runs, 11 RBI and an OPS of 1.055. He looked like a shoo-in, and then was optioned to Triple-A.
Why?
Forget the “he needs more seasoning” excuse; it’s the old Kris Bryant quandary all over again. By keeping Hoerner in the minors for 36 more days, the club gets to keep him another year before having to deal with free agency.