Chicago Cubs‘ Nico Hoerner has lofty goal for the 2026 season

Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner is one of the most underrated players in baseball and doesn’t work outside of his skill set to be great.

“I was really proud of last year throughout,” Hoerner said to Jordan Bastain of MLB.com earlier this spring. “During the season, I felt like I improved, while just being a good version of myself and embracing the things I do well.”

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Hoerner is an all-around player and came into this spring training hoping to build off his slugging from the second half.

“I slugged more in the second half,” Hoerner said. “But it didn’t come from swinging harder or doing stuff that’s outside of my skillset as it is. I just felt like I had a better understanding of how I was moving, and I’m excited to build on that.”

In seven seasons with the Cubs, Hoerner has a career slugging percentage of .384 and has 36 career home runs. Hoerner has shown to be more of a doubles (128), triples (15), and steals (131) player than a home run hitter.

Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell noticed Nico Hoerner’s desire to be better

In three seasons as Hoerner’s manager, Craig Counsell has taken notice of Hoerner coming into spring training with new goals. Hoerner told Counsell this spring, “I want to hit for more power.”

“Just in the three years that I’ve been here,” Counsell said, “I’ve seen him come into spring with some different goals. And now I think he sits in a place where he understands himself better and how to achieve those goals. Instead of just saying, ‘I want to hit for more power,’ it’s more understanding how his body works around that goal.”

If Nico Hoerner can hit more than 10 home runs, that would be a win for the Cubs

Hoerner has hit seven home runs in back-to-back seasons and has two seasons (2020 and 2021) with zero home runs. The Cubs’ former first-round pick’s (24th overall) career high is 10 in 2022.

Already hitting over 30 doubles in a season (35 in 2024), developing more home run potential would benefit the Cubs. The Cubs ranked sixth in Major League Baseball in home runs in 2025 (223). Hoerner hitting at least 15 home runs next season would be a win for the Cubs.

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