The Cubs are closing in on an agreement with first-round pick Nico Hoerner, reports Patrick Mooney of The Athletic (via Twitter). The former Stanford shortstop is expected to sign for the full slot value of $2.724MM that comes with the No. 24 overall selection, according to Mooney, and he’ll begin his pro career with the Cubs’ short-season Class-A affiliate, the Eugene Emeralds. MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat tweets that all that remains for the deal to be finalized is a physical, which should happen later this week.
Chicago, it seems, was a bit more bullish on Hoerner than most pre-draft rankings. Hoerner ranked 37th in the class in the estimation of Kiley McDaniel and Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs, while ESPN’s Keith Law pegged him 39th, Baseball America ranked him 42nd and Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com tabbed him 52nd.
Those reports indicate that there’s somewhat of a split among scouts as to whether Hoerner can remain at shortstop or will require a move to second base or the outfield. BA makes note of his impressive exit velocity and strong hands, while all of the reports note his quality bat-to-ball skills and above-average speed. McDaniel and Longenhagen note that he has drawn some comparisons to Arizona’s Chris Owings.
Hoerner hit .345/.391/.496 at Stanford this past season, with two homers, 17 doubles, six triples and 15 steals (in 19 attempts) along the way. More impressively, he struck out just 22 times in 57 games played while drawing 20 walks in that time as well.
maybe im being too hard on the kid but his swing and lack of power reminds me of ryan theriot. hopefully he can do a little better for us than the riot.
If he’s lucky maybe DJ lamaheiu
Why did you have to bring up DJ LeMahieu, the Jim Hendry draft pick that Theo & Co. gave away? Can you imagine him with the Cubs along with the holdover they did keep, Javier Baez?
LeMahieu could have been the Cubs All-Star, Gold Glove 2B. Baez could have remained at his natural SS position and maybe they would have traded Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel for someone other than Addison Russell. Most importantly, LeMahieu could have filled the Cubs need at leadoff hitter for the past 7 seasons with his excellent BA/OBP combination.
I wouldn’t put LeMahieu in the same class as HOF’er Lou Brock, but he is yet another quality leadoff hitter the Cubs let get away in a poor trade. Billy North was a third they punted to the Oakland A’s back in 1972 when the team’s biggest hole had always been CF. Brock went on to help the Cardinals win two World Series titles and North earned a ring with the 1974 A’s. LeMahieu has yet to garner a championship in Colorado but he certainly could have earned one in 2016 and maybe more had he remained in Chicago.
Take some meds dude, that was a whole lot more non sense. You act like LaMahieu is the 2nd coming of Christ and Cubs have been suffering since
Dude, learn how to write and start loving your father. He’s the only one you’ll ever have.
What’s wrong with Addison Russell? He just might win the Gold Glove this year.
Russell is a top 5 SS. He was the A’s top prospect at the time.
Actually, that’s about my comp. Hoerner seems a bit Theriot, that hits, runs, fields, and throws slightly better than Riot.
Look at Theriot’s career WAR.
Look at career WAR values on the 24th pick.
Add a bit onto Theriot, and you have an entirely acceptable 24th choice.
agreed. theriot wasnt a bad player, just wish his range and power was a little better. i didnt look at the college numbers too much, but with video of that swing, how could you not be reminded of theriot? almost spot on.
why not like dustin pedroia ♂️♂️
Love your optimism, especially for a #1 selection in the latest June draft.
Btw-That comp has already been made with the White Sox first round pick Nick Madrigal. Pedroia flashed more power at Arizona State while Madrigal’s run tool is better coming out of Oregon State. Both are of similar stature, each receiving high marks for their baseball instincts and character coming out of college.