Cubs 2021 Second Baseman? Nico is the Favorite, But a Dark Horse Option Exists

The 2021 Chicago Cubs have the opportunity to look a lot different than they have over the past five seasons. This isn’t really a secret, the Cubs have been attempting to “thread the needle” for two seasons now and there is a growing faction from the fanbase actively campaigning for roster turnover. But, threading the needle doesn’t mean rebuilding. It is the careful massaging of the roster, allowing the team to remain competitive while doing just enough to build for the future.

There are several positions that if the incumbent is on the 2021 roster, the question of who starts is a non-issue. Guys like Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez, Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, Ian Happ, Jason Heyward, and Willson Contreras all own their positions if they remain on the roster. If there are no other questions, then the largest one remaining is: who is the second baseman!?!?

The Cubs had five different players start at second base in the 2020 season, which is somewhat impressive considering there were only 60 games. Here is the breakdown:

This will beg the question… Who will be the Cubs second baseman in 2021!?

Kipnis had a bit of a resurgent year for the Cubs but is a free agent and he might look for a multi-year deal in the offseason. With likely changes in the Cubs front office next offseason, it is unlikely that they will buy-in on a multi-year pact.

Both Vargas and Perez shouldn’t see significant playing time on most MLB rosters, the Cubs including. Which leaves us with Hoerner as the only other player with significant time at the position in 2020.

The Cubs have been extremely high on Hoerner since the draft in 2018. They have always believed his bat was mature for his age and experience. Which was shown in their aggressive placement of Hoerner in Double-A Tennessee right out of the gates.

“It’s an aggressive placement, but we feel he’s a very mature kid in both in the way he plays the game and the way he handles any adversity thrown his way,“ Theo Epstein said after assigning him to Tennessee. “We feel he’s ready and prepared for it.

“He stands out for how advanced and mature he is. We had a feeling he was going to be ready for it, just seeing how he handled himself in big-league came, and that sealed it.”

Nico has proven his worth. In 2019, during his 70-games in Tennessee, he posted a .743 OPS, gets called up to the big-league club, and posted a .741 OPS. This is a solid showing for a kid that was pushed pretty quickly and asked to perform in the middle of a pennant race. His 2020 was a bit of a letdown, but I stand firmly in the camp that we don’t hold 2020 stats in too high regard – good, bad, or indifferent.

Understanding this, with the options now, Hoerner is the likely candidate to get tapped on the shoulder. But, not everyone shares this sentiment.

While Nico Hoerner appears to have the inside track on the starting second-base job for the Cubs in 2021, don’t put that in stone says Paruk from Sportsbettingdime.com. Hoerner needs to look over his shoulder for David Bote. A more natural third baseman, Bote saw spot duty at second in 2020 and, at the plate, led the team in hard-hit rate (52.3%). If there is no DH in the NL in 2021, David Ross will need to find a way to get the 27-year-old’s bat into the lineup. Hoerner is obviously more at-risk than former NL MVP Kris Bryant.

In 2019, Bote signed a five-year extension – team-friendly deal – with the Cubs, so he will almost certainly be around. He has seen most of his work at the hot corner, and depending on what the team decides to do with Kris Bryant, he could find himself playing a larger role in 2021. This is an absolute dark-horse to take the reins in 2021 and beyond.

This potential positional battle reminds me a lot of the battle between Ian Happ and Albert Almora Jr. Hoerner is the far superior defensive player. In 2019, Hoerner had a 1 DRS at second and in 2020 he owned a 5 DRS there. Bote has a career 3 DRS at second.

But offensively – where the Cubs need the assistance – Bote is the better player. He has posted a career 100 wRC+, which isn’t *great* but is better than Hoerner’s 72 and it is his hard-hit rate that excites the Cubs management team. That, and his ability to hit the ball in the air.

Neither Bote nor Hoerner had great offensive seasons in 2020, but in the case of Bote, you can point to a great bit of bad luck. As mentioned, his hard-hit rate of 52.3% led the Cubs, but he posted a .228 BABIP in 2020. Historically, hitters will hover around a .300 BABIP. Luck, or lack thereof, could push it up or down a few clicks, but players should migrate towards .300 over the course of a season. Players that hit the ball hard tend to see their BABIP raise above the .300 mark. With Bote leading the team in hard-hit % and his BABIP being so low, it really leads to him having an unlucky season at the plate. This is something that likely levels out in a full 162-game schedule, but 60-games make it a bit harder.

So who do you got? Hoerner, the assumed favorite? Or are you going with Bote, the dark-horse that could steal the position from under Hoerner’s feet?

Jamie Baker

Hi, I’m Jamie and I run this site. I’ve published work on multiple other sites and through that experience I decided to create CHICAGO style SPORTS. We truly aim to speak for the Chicago fan. Additionally, as a member of the IBWAA (Internet Baseball Writers Association of America) you can be assured that all content you read will be written with incredible integrity.

See author's posts