Nico Hoerner
- The Cubs’ roster as it stands starts at 2B · 596 PA · 3.0 WAR in the role
- Trade read Unlikely to be traded: Extended in Mar 2026 (6 yr, $141M (2027-32); deferrals lower AAV): clubs rarely move a player they just committed to.
Hitting · 2026 percentiles
vs. MLB hitters with 300+ PA · 690 PA
Platoon splits · swing path
By pitcher handedness
| vs | PA | wOBA | xwOBA | K% | BB% | Chase | Decisions | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LHP | 174 | .309 | .310 | 10% | 5% | 37% | −1.57 | +0.45 |
| RHP | 516 | .314 | .331 | 8% | 7% | 33% | −0.63 | +1.00 |
- Attack angle
- 5.7° (46% in 5–20°)
- Attack direction
- −1.4°
- Swing length
- 7.3 ft
- Fast-swing rate
- 1%
- Pull-air %
- 11.8%
- Hard-hit %
- 29.3%
- Slash · wRC+
- .263/.316/.350 · 88
Zone map · 2026
Where he does damage, and where to pitch him
Does the most damage down and in (+2.8 vs. league per 100; 1.3 standard errors on 81 pitches, inside the noise for the best of nine cells).
Weakest middle-middle (−2.3), but only 1.3 standard errors from average on 165 pitches: no in-zone spot to attack yet.
Runs per 100 pitches vs. an average RHB: better · worse. Catcher’s view · 2,268 pitches · faded cells are within one standard error of average. A spot is called only when it is farther from average than the best or worst of nine average cells gets 95% of the time (set from the league’s own pitches: about 3 standard errors above, 2 below).
Most similar hitters
Swings like Hoerner: bat path, contact quality and approach
| Similarity | Player | xwOBA | ’26 WAR | ’27 proj | 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 61 | Jung Hoo Lee SF · ’98 | .315 | 1.0 | 1.2 | Signed $22.8M |
| 57 | Jeff McNeil ATH · ’92 | .300 | 0.1 | 0.2 | Free agent |
| 54 | Sal Frelick MIL · ’00 | .291 | −0.5 | 1.2 | Arb |
| 47 | Javier Sanoja MIA · ’02 | .299 | 2.8 | 2.2 | Pre-arb |
| 46 | Miguel Rojas LAD · ’89 | .317 | 0.7 | 0.6 | Free agent |
Nearest neighbours on bat speed, swing length, attack angle, squared-up and blast rates, EV90, barrels, pull-air, chase, zone contact, K% and BB%. 2026 regulars only.
Fielding
2027 rating at every position he can play · OAA by position · range by direction · tools. Same engine as the Fielding Lab and the Winter Plan.
| Season | Pos | OAA | Range | Arm, DP | Runs | Batters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | SS | +2 | +1 | +0.4 | +1.4 | 1,482 |
| 2026 | 2B | +9 | +7 | +1.3 | +8.3 | 4,285 |
| 2025 | SS | +1 | +1 | 0.0 | +1.0 | 170 |
| 2025 | 2B | +14 | +10 | +1.2 | +11.2 | 5,454 |
| 2024 | SS | 0 | 0 | +0.1 | +0.1 | 323 |
| 2024 | 2B | +9 | +7 | +1.2 | +8.2 | 5,205 |
| 2023 | SS | +1 | +1 | 0.0 | +1.0 | 593 |
| 2023 | 2B | +12 | +9 | −0.3 | +8.7 | 4,914 |
Runs = range plus his arm and double-play runs spread over his positions by outs (Fielding Run Value, from 2023): what the rating counts.
| Season | Zone | Balls | Outs vs. exp. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | SS | 154 | +4.8 |
| 2026 | 2B | 430 | +11.5 |
| 2025 | 2B | 472 | +19.9 |
| 2024 | SS | 40 | −0.3 |
| 2024 | 2B | 485 | +4.8 |
The zone rating counts every ball hit to his part of the field while he played there, his club’s positioning included; Savant OAA uses his actual starting spot and is the better individual grade. They agree best in the outfield. See the model card.
Contract & projection
Club control (RosterResource) · Keystone projected WAR
ABS challenges · 2026
Baseball Savant