"Nico Hoerner nearly won the NL batting title while posting a career-high 109 wRC+ and capturing his second Gold Glove at second base. Now imagine what he could have done if his surgically repaired right arm had been at full strength."
"[The pitchers I spoke with] felt like another offseason after it is really when things start to get synced up," Hoerner explained. "So I'm excited to get into a throwing program, start up in a couple of weeks, and just really have a full time to get that under myself and not just be able to be a second baseman, but really be the best athlete that I can be."
"Reduced arm strength meant he had to be even better with his positioning and jumps, creating better angles to make clean plays and have time to throw out runners. The result was an MLB-leading 17 defensive runs saved and 14 outs above average; no other second baseman had more than 12 and 10, respectively."
Nico Hoerner nearly won the NL batting title while posting a career-high 109 wRC+ and capturing a second Gold Glove at second base. Offseason flexor tendon surgery limited pregame throwing and caused pain when cutting throws loose, reducing arm strength. Reduced arm strength forced improved positioning and quicker jumps, producing MLB-leading totals of 17 defensive runs saved and 14 outs above average. Since his 2019 debut, Hoerner's 20.0 fWAR is the highest among Cubs players and his 131 steals lead the team. He plans to begin a throwing program to regain full arm strength and increase his athletic ceiling.
Read at Cubsinsider
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