Chicago Cubs: This Cub has gone from trade bait to MVP

The Chicago Cubs pulled off a 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday at Wrigley Field to take the three-game series before a road trip that starts Monday. Second baseman Nico Hoerner was a big reason the team walked away with the “W.”

That shouldn’t come as much of a surprise if you’ve been following the team closely, especially in this latter half of the season. Since the All-Star break, the 28-year-old has hit .328 with an OPS of .822. In his last 18 games, he’s been on a fierce tear, batting .366 with 10 RBIs and 12 extra base hits. With runners in scoring position, he’s registered an NL-leading 50 hits while logging a .362 batting average.

From trade bait to MVP

Not bad at all for a player widely rumored to be on the trading black this past offseason and one who many viewed as a dispensable part of this Cubs team.

During this latest stretch, it seems as though a good part of Cubs offense has somehow involved Hoerner.

On Sunday, his presence was felt once again as he went 2-for-4, while driving in 3 of the Cubs’ 4 runs. His seventh-inning double, which drove in Willi Castro and Matt Shaw to put Chicago on top, was the key moment in the game.

“Big moment,” Hoerner told reporters after the game. “Flip a game the other direction. Definitely one of the bigger swings of the year for me personally. Felt like it was a moment to seize. Win the final game of a series and happy flight, all that good stuff. It matters.

“This group has done a lot throughout the year to put us in a strong place. And I think, regardless of standings, finishing with positive energy and excitement and doing that at home is a big deal.”

With Sunday’s showing, Hoerner passed team leader in WAR Pete Crow-Armstrong (6.0 to 5.8), He also upped his batting average on the year to .299, inching up on NL batting leader Trea Turner’s .305.

Nico Hoerner has been really, really good

“I don’t know what he’s hitting this month, but it’s felt like a lot,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell told media on Sunday. “There’s a lot of base hits in there. He had two big hits today. Drove in three of the runs today. And just a big swing. A big swing when we needed one.”

Jordan Bastian of MLB.com has crunched the numbers on Hoerner’s excellence and consistency this season:

“That has been a theme for Hoerner, who has a slash line of .362/.418/.457 in 158 plate appearances this season with runners in scoring position. His elite contact rate (89.9% overall and 96.8% on pitches in the zone) and peskiness at the plate play into his success in those moments. (Hoerner’s 14.0 plate appearances per strikeout rank second to Luis Arraez in the Majors.).”

The Chicago Cubs’ unsung hero

All in all, on a team plagued with offensive inconsistency and stalled by hitters languishing through extended slumps, the young veteran has been his usual reliable self while showcasing some real team leadership chops. Eligible for free agency at the end of next season, there’s now some buzz about the Cubs possibly extending him right now rather than risk losing him.

“He makes so much contact, he’s such a good base runner, he’s so good at second,” Pitcher Jameson Taillon said back in June.

“He’s a really smart baseball player. He understands how guys are going to attack him. He understands if (a pitcher) needs a swing-and-miss, where they may go against him and where he should look. He’s got a really good understanding of the situation.

“He’s a great defender, he has great hands, a great internal clock and he understands the game. But a lot of his really nice defense comes from some want-to. He loves taking hits and runs away. You can feel it. He gets after it. He’s attacking the baseball. It’s an edgy defense.”

The plucky, old-school Hoerner, on a team full of star-level talent, may have worked himself into being the Cubs’ 2025 MVP.

Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-cubs-nico-hoerner-counsell-pca?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=chicago-cubs-nico-hoerner-counsell-pca