For most of this offseason, the feeling was that Nico Hoerner would need to spend a little bit more time in the minor leagues in 2021. Nico showed talent and maturity beyond his years when he joined the team during the playoff stretch in 2019. He filled in admirably at shortstop after Javier Báez and Addison Russell both landed on the injured list, but struggled against MLB pitching in the shortened season in 2020. He put up a slash line of just .222/.312/.259 over 126 plate appearances, with an abysmal wRC+ of 63, although it is worth noting he also received a Gold Glove nomination.
Nico Hoerner will start the 2021 season at the alternate site, per report
