Cubs' Nico Hoerner taking different approach to generating power

MESA, Ariz. — When Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner roped a home run to left-center field this week for his first of the spring, it wasn’t because he bulked up over the offseason or tweaked his swing for more power.

“A lot of it is what you swing at pitch-wise,” Hoerner said in a recent conversation with the Sun-Times. “So having a better understanding of not just what I make contact with, but what I drive. And if you can put more balls in play in that bucket throughout the season, then I like my chances to slug more, whether it's home runs or extra-base hits in general.”

Hoerner’s quest for power has gone through many evolutions. It’s been a spring-training storyline year after year, as he’s sought to balance his natural talents with that clear area for improvement.

Although he is still quick to bring up a desire to drive the ball more consistently, over the last year, Hoerner’s appreciation for his contact ability has come through more. It may sound counter-intuitive, but that shift may be the key to unlocking Hoerner’s power.

“Just in the three years that I’ve been here, I’ve seen him come into spring with some different goals,” manager Craig Counsell said. “And now I think he sits in a place where he understands himself better and how to achieve those goals. Instead of just saying, ‘I want to hit for more power,’ it’s more understanding how his body works around that goal.”

Hoerner agreed with Counsell’s assessment.

“When it comes to hitting for power, people have always told me, ‘Get your swing off, and do damage, and take chances,’” Hoerner said. “And those are all well-intentioned. I think there's validity to that. But those are phrases that you have to make sense of yourself.”

Hoerner now sees the swings that he thought were more powerful as just bigger and more out of control.

“They were just kind of sloppy for me,” he said, “and don't really embrace my skill sets of being a shorter, explosive mover.”

Hoerner harnessed that explosive movement in the second half of the season last year, hitting all seven of his home runs after mid-June, as he became further removed from the forearm surgery he underwent the previous offseason. 

Hoerner also finished the season with the second-best batting average (.297) in the National League. Then in the postseason, he showed just how valuable his contact-centric skillset can be.

“It was really special to watch him in that element,” left fielder Ian Happ said. “And the competitiveness and his skill set plays so well in those situations because he's so good at moving the ball forward and putting together a really competitive at-bat.”

Hoerner led Cubs lineup regulars in the postseason with a .419 batting average. He recorded a double, home run and four RBI.

“Results in a small sample like that can come and go,” Hoerner said. “But obviously we faced such a high level of pitching between San Diego and Milwaukee, and especially in their bullpens, you're not facing pitchers usually more than once or twice. It was a very challenging setting. So it meant a lot to me, both mentally and skillset wise, to be able to just have quality at-bats.”

Postseason pitching is bound to be staunch this year too, as the Cubs shoot for a deeper playoff run. And with Hoerner heading to free agency for the first time in his career, barring an extension, that could be his last hurrah with the team that drafted him in 2018.