Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner always plays with an edge.
It requires a steady, daily intensity maintained over a six-month regular season, a grind that can challenge even the most tenured big-league veterans. Few Cubs delivered the level of consistency Hoerner brought this season, especially during the second half when the offense struggled to produce as it did during a first-half performance that made them the most potent lineup in the majors.
Hoerner’s impact on the field and on those around him did not go unnoticed by his teammates. Beyond contending for the National League batting title, what Hoerner does behind the scenes resonates within the clubhouse. Known for his prep work in the cage and weight room, the little things at times can be as valuable as on-field results.
“I think what people don’t necessarily understand about Nico is just his competitive fire and spirit,” shortstop Dansby Swanson told the Tribune. “It’s obviously easy to see when you watch him play, but I don’t think people understand how hard that is to do every single day and almost every moment. Because we play so many games, and he’s playing in all those games, and it’s just a real joy to watch. It’s a real joy to be able to play next to him, and he’s definitely made me better in so many ways. I think he brings that out of a lot of guys.”
The Cubs feature a mix of veterans with postseason experience and World Series titles, along with a group of players who have never played October baseball. Hoerner, despite being in his seventh season with the Cubs, is part of the latter. When he steps on the field Tuesday for Game 1 of the wild-card series against the San Diego Padres, it will be the 28-year-old’s first appearance in a playoff game at Wrigley Field.
“It’s easy to play with energy when you feel like you’re a part of something bigger than yourself,” Hoerner told the Tribune. “And I think I’ve kind of always played the game in that way, one way or another. But when you’re playing alongside other guys you really enjoy playing with, it’s easier to be yourself.”
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Workers paint a playoff logo on the grass at Wrigley Field on Sept. 29, 2025, as the team gets ready to face the Padres in a wild-card playoff series starting on Tuesday. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)
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Workers paint a playoff logo on the grass at Wrigley Field on Sept. 29, 2025, as the team gets ready to face the Padres in a wild-card playoff series starting on Tuesday. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)
Hoerner started a career-high 156 games this year, logging the second-most innings by any second baseman and ranking 13th overall in defensive innings played regardless of position.
“That’s what I’m most proud of, really, is that big of a number, that’s just a credit to how he attacked the offseason, and even though he’d be unhappy with how we didn’t take him to JapanI’m happy that we didn’t do that,” manager Craig Counsell said. “He’s just put together a complete season and that’s why Nico’s such a special player is because you’re getting something from all parts of the game and he impacts the game.
“This year was better than last year for sure, in my opinion, so there’s a lot of baseball at a high level in a lot of areas.”
Although he fell just short of hitting .300, putting up a .297 average and career-high 114 OPS+, Hoerner knows that collecting hits is his best path to getting on base. He doesn’t walk much (6%), but he is also one of the toughest hitters to strike out. Only the Padres’ Luiz Arraez (3.1%) and the Athletics’ Jacob Wilson (7.5%) have a lower strikeout percentage among the 145 qualified MLB hitters than Hoerner (7.6%).
His elite bat-to-ball skills have made Hoerner an important cog in a Cubs lineup that generates plenty of slug elsewhere. In the last 15 years, only four other Cubs — Cody Bellinger in 2023, Ben Zobrist in 2018, Starlin Castro and Aramis Ramírez in 2011 — have hit at least .297 in a season (minimum 500 plate appearances).
“You can both be aware of metrics or what’s valued in this game the most at this point as far as what’s correlated to helping score runs — we always want to score runs and take away runs — and so batting average isn’t always the most direct correlation with that,” Hoerner said. “But it’s a big part of how I get on base, which is really important for me scoring runs and being a part of helping this offense.
“I could have an amazing year where I hit .275, I could have a year where I hit .290 but don’t do other things well, there’s going to be stuff year to year, but yeah, hitting .300 is still just a cool thing. It’s OK to have things that aren’t super scientific but are, as a baseball fan, cool things.”
Hoerner’s all-around performance might go under the radar outside of the Cubs, but he’s been among the top players in the league this year. His 4.8 fWAR is tied for 20th in the majors; he’s 15th in BsR, which measures baserunning; and he’s 11th in the Def metric that accounts for fielding and positioning.
“It’s definitely not as sexy as what some other profiles are, but man, it’s effective, and it’s fun to watch when you get to watch it every single day,” Ian Happ said to the Tribune. “I know how hard he’s worked because I’ve seen it, to be healthy and to be available and to be on the field, his games played numbers over the last three years, they’re awesome. That’s a testament to the way that he prepares and what he’s learned.
“Every day he’s doing something to impact games.”
