An injury to Javy Báez unexpectedly launched Nico Hoerner‘s development forward. The 2018 first round pick was slated to go to the Arizona Fall League, but instead he got the call to big leagues this September as the first member of his draft class to debut in the majors. So what can we learn from the young infielder’s 20-game sample in a Cubs uniform?
The first, and perhaps most important, takeaway from a look at the numbers is Hoerner’s elite bat-to-ball skills. The Stanford product struck out in only 13.4% of his 82 plate appearances, more than eight points below league average (21.