Chicago Cubs: Nico Hoerner reveals secret to his early season power surge

The Chicago Cubs had been urged by fans and media to extend free agency-eligible Nico Hoerner all through the second half of last season up until the start of this season. Thankfully, they obliged with a 6-year, $141 million extension announced shortly after Opening Day.

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The tenacious second baseman, who’s been an elite fielder and one of the best contact hitters in all of baseball, had been an absolute fireplug at the end of the 2025 regular season and throughout the playoffs. He had become a crucial part of this Cubs team and was rewarded as such by the rich contract.

The 28-year-old Hoerner responded in the right way—by being even more of his best self.

So far, he’s been a defensive dynamo on the field and has added extra fire to his offensive game.

Nico’s power surge

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31 games into the 2026 season, he’s already hit 4 home runs while sporting a career-high slugging percentage (.449) and OPS (.819). He’s leading the team in RBIs with 26—a number that also ties him for fourth in baseball. His home run-per-at bat rate this year is 31.75 as opposed to the 85.57 rate he posted last season, in what was considered a career offensive year for him.

The two-time Gold Glover has always been a good, smart hitter with elite-level contact ability, but there’s just more there this year. He’s pulling the ball more, getting it into the air more, and just generating more impact overall.

Hoerner attributes the development to simply being more selective at the plate and, essentially, being okay with taking pitches—and strikes—in search of one he can actually drive.

“As a player who makes a lot of contact, it’s a skill set, it’s a bonus. But it’s also something that can limit me if it’s weak contact in good counts to hit,” Hoerner told The Athletic. “It’s something I’ve known for a long time. I obviously know hitting the ball hard off the ground is better. It takes a while to understand how that shows up for you individually. I definitely don’t have that down yet. But I have a better idea of pitches I hit well.”

Counsell on Hoerner’s power moves

Cubs manager Craig Counsell has noticed the adjustments and fully endorses the changes.

“Nico could get into the habit of just playing defense as a hitter. He’s great at it, which means the ball is going to be in play. But it kind of created a swing that didn’t let him drive the ball,” Counsell also told The Athletic.

“He has always had the move to drive the baseball. He’s just gotten more confident in this move he has worked on trusting and understands both things can still happen. He can still make elite contact and drive the baseball because his move is cleaner…He can get underneath the baseball instead of kind of just diving forward and putting it in play.”

Hoerner’s currently on a pace to hit just over 18 home runs, which is not a whole lot when stacked against some of the league’s bigger sluggers. But when you factor in his overall hitting ability, his defense, his speed on the bases, and the impact he has on the clubhouse, he’s an MVP-level asset to the Cubs and worth every penny they invested in him.

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Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-cubs-nico-hoerner-reveals-secret-to-his-power-surge/