How Cubs' Nico Hoerner went from underrated 'glue guy' to starring on a World Series hopeful
Hoerner has been one of the best players in baseball this year, even if no one noticed
By
Matt Snyder
•
5 min read
CINCINNATI - The Chicago Cubs are heading back to the playoffs for the first time in a full season since 2018. The roster is full of familiar names like Kyle Tucker, Dansby Swanson and Pete Crow-Armstrong. Nico Hoerner, one of their most important players, doesn't have the same All-Star pedigree. But one could argue he's the glue that holds the team together.
Hoerner plays exceptional defense at second base, hops over to shortstop on the rare occasion Swanson needs a day off, hits for average, gets on base and runs the bases well. He's been used at the top of the order (leadoff 16 times, second six times), in the middle of the order (fifth 13 times and sixth 52 times) and toward the bottom (seventh 37 times and eighth 26 times).
That type of versatility teamed with the high performance is what typically gets called the "Glue Guy," though Cubs manager Craig Counsell argued that Hoerner is actually too good for that title.
"It depends on your definition," he said. "I think he might be a little better than that by my definition."
It's a fair point. When we think about the "Glue guy" thing, it feels like it's usually reserved for a college basketball player who isn't a star but is instead a contributor who does the so-called little things and maybe doesn't get noticed by the masses as a star player. Hoerner isn't recognized as a star. He plays on a team where he gets overshadowed.
There is, however, an argument to be made that Hoerner is the most valuable player on the 2025 Cubs. WAR agrees. Hoerner leads the Cubs this season at 6.1, half a win ahead of PCA and more than a full win ahead of Tucker. By the definition of WAR, 5+ is an All-Star level and around 8 is MVP-caliber. Though Hoerner won't win the National League MVP award that is already being virtually engraved for Shohei Ohtani, he should get some consideration down the ballot. He sits fifth in WAR among NL position players and, again, he's just been so valuable to the Cubs both on and off the field in their return to the playoffs.
"With the way he impacts the game everyday, his ability as a teammate to get to know everybody and relate to everybody and just provide constant energy," Ian Happ told CBS Sports of the impact Hoerner has in the clubhouse. "He's been doing that his whole career but people are starting to take notice now."
The rookies are paying attention too.
"Everybody looks up to him, in a way, with his work ethic and his ability to be super consistent," fellow infielder Matt Shaw told CBS Sports. "His ability to work extremely hard throughout the entire season, but still stay healthy, still stay mobile, still stay in great shape. He's someone who takes absolute care off the field, like nutritionally, recovery, all that stuff. As a whole, everyone looks to Nico as someone who leads by example."
Shaw, a rookie third baseman whose tough first half included a demotion back to Triple-A, has regained his form and is back in the majors as a key piece for the Cubs moving toward the postseason.
"With his personality, too, he's always trying to bring up the people around him and that shows his selflessness and that's another thing people look up to. The more he does it, the more others start to do it and in that sense, he's a glue for the clubhouse, Shaw said.
"When you're in the clubhouse every single day for 100-whatever games, you see it every single day. The consistency, which is the hardest part of this game, when things aren't going well, when things are going well, he really embodies that consistency."
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Pitcher Cade Horton, one of the top contenders for NL Rookie of the Year, echoed Shaw's praise of Hoerner's consistency
"It's been really cool to watch a guy that's just so consistent," he told CBS Sports. "With his defense, with his offense, just the way he plays the game. You know what you're going to get from him and it's been really special to watch. He's a presence in this locker room."
Horton also wanted to credit the Cubs' defense behind him for some of his success, an 11-4 record and a 2.66 ERA in his first season.
"[The Cubs defense] has been unreal," he said. "It does help a lot, just knowing if they hit it, it's probably going to get caught because we have such an elite defense. It allows us to pitch fearlessly. Just being able to watch the defense, day in, day out, it's been incredible."
It isn't just Hoerner, as the Cubs also have Crow-Armstrong in center field, Swanson at short and Shaw has really come along nicely at third base. Still, Hoerner, a Gold Glove winner in 2023, rates out excellently on defense. He easily passes the eye test and the numbers bear it out. He is 11th in baseball in Outs Above Average, sitting first among second basemen. In defensive runs saved, only five players rank ahead of Hoerner.
Simply, it's fair to say Hoerner is the best defensive second baseman in baseball and one of the best defenders regardless of position.
As noted, though, he's an all-around contributor and not just a defensive specialist. FanGraphs has a baserunning component ("BSR") of their WAR formula and Hoerner ranks 17th of 144 qualified players in BSR.
With the bat, Hoerner has been a maestro. He was one of just eight qualified hitters in Major League Baseball this season hitting .300 or better before falling to .299 on Sunday. He was one of just two on the NL side, trailing only Phillies shortstop Trea Turner (.305), who has been out injured since Sept. 7.
"That's what it looks like!" Counsell said of .300 hitters before the Cubs' game in Cincinnati Thursday. "Nico feels like he gets hits nonstop and he's still at .301 and it's like 'oh my gosh, he's piling up hits.' It's hard to hit .300 in Major League Baseball. Period."
The Cubs have only had one batting title winner since Bill Buckner brought it home in 1980 with a .324 average. Derrek Lee led the league at .335 in 2005. The league average in 2005 was .264. This season, it's .246. Hoerner, again, is hitting .301.
"Nico's been great," Counsell said. "In the last month, it's pretty remarkable what he's doing."
Prior to Sunday's 0 for 4, Hoerner was hitting .371/.418/.551 in his previous 22 games, pilling up 33 hits in the process. In that time, the Cubs have clinched a playoff spot and held control of the top wild card spot ahead of the San Diego Padres.
Counsell noted that if the Cubs are to make a deep playoff run this season, they'll need a few position players to have a special October. The good news, he said, was they have a lot of candidates. The smart money here is that Hoerner will be heavily involved.
The Cubs have a super glue guy manning second base.
