The Cubs built a world championship roster largely by drafting and developing position players, several of whom breezed quickly though the system en route to Chicago. That strategy continued with Nico Hoerner, the No. 24 overall pick in the 2018 draft. An athletic shortstop who can play all over the infield, Hoerner differed a bit from the Cubs’ previous top picks in that he didn’t display a lot of pop in college.
With only two homers in 232 at-bats (none in his last 181 ABs) during his final season at Stanford, many anticipated a defense-first slap-hitter. But Hoerner’s built more solidly than you might expect, and he’s got more pop in that bat than his college numbers indicate, something the Cubs may have felt they could leverage.