Hoerner’s Steady Bat Could Deliver Cubs First Title Since 2005

Nico Hoerner’s quest for the batting crown reminds us that hitters who value approach and contact still have a place in today’s MLB.

Nico Hoerner leads the National League with a .378 avg. with runners in scoring position. (Cubs v Pirates August 17, 2025 - Destiny Little - The Bigs Visuals)

Every once in a while, baseball gives us a chase that feels bigger than the numbers. Nico Hoerner is on the brink of one. With two games left in the regular season and the Cubs magic number at one, the Cubs’ second baseman is batting .300 and eyeing a feat no Chicago player has touched since Derrek Lee in 2005 — a National League batting title.

The obstacle? Phillies shortstop Trea Turner’s .305 mark, one that looks safe on paper. To pull even, Hoerner will need a near-perfect finish — six hits in his final seven or eight at-bats. It might be unrealistic but for a player built on resilience, consistency, and quiet toughness, the idea of Hoerner making the impossible look possible feels perfectly on brand.

The chase is intriguing, partly because Turner hasn’t played since September 7 due to a hamstring strain — and with the Phillies locked into a top-two seed, they have no reason to push him back before October. That leaves the door wide open for Hoerner.

The best part? He doesn’t seem to care.

“The attention is a lot more on the playoffs and clinching home field,” Hoerner said before the Cubs’ 8-5 loss to the Mets Thursday night. “Batting average is a tricky thing… just from being a fan of the sport, it’s amazing to be up there along with Trea Turner, who’s one of my favorite players to watch. So yeah, it’s a very cool thing.”

The Stat MLB Wants You to Forget

Let’s be real: MLB has spent years telling us batting average doesn’t matter anymore. The game’s new language is all about OPS, OBP, SLG, exit velocity, and launch angle. A .265 hitter is suddenly considered elite because the metrics say so.

They’ll tell you it’s evolution. In reality it’s the lack of approach, contact, and balance in favor of uppercuts and strikeouts.

Hoerner doesn’t buy into the extremes.

“I don’t necessarily think it’s one or the other,” he said. “OPS is valued more and impacts winning more for the most part. But when you go through a lineup with different strengths, contact is really valuable in some situations and slug is really valuable in others. There are different ways of getting to a .750 or .800 OPS.”

In other words: OPS is nice, but hitting .300 still means something.

Production You Can’t Fake

Hoerner’s numbers back it up. He leads the Cubs with 177 hits, second-most in the National League behind Turner (179). With runners in scoring position, he’s been lethal — a .378 average (56-for-148), the highest in the N.L. and third-best in MLB. In September alone, he’s batting .421 (9-for-20) with RISP.

And it’s not just the bat. Defensively, Hoerner is still the gold standard at second base. His 14 Outs Above Average and 17 Defensive Runs Saved lead the position. Only Milwaukee’s Brice Turang has more putouts.

Availability…check! Hoerner has played in a career-high 154 games, anchoring a roster that’s needed every ounce of stability. He’s taken a “less is more” approach when it comes to preparation in his seventh season in the big leagues.

“I think it takes a lot of confidence to do less in a lot of ways. I think working hard is kind of the bare minimum at this level but working efficiently and trusting that you don’t need to go crazy everyday to still be in a good place and have the best version of yourself out on the field when it really matters. I’m still obviously figuring it all out, I don’t have it down perfectly but I’ve been lucky to watch some other great players who’ve been a couple of years ahead of me and learn from them. Every year is a little different.”

The Throwback the Cubs Needed

Hoerner is a throwback. He’s not worried about home run totals or barrel rates. He’s about making contact, putting pressure on defenses, and playing elite defense up the middle.

Hoerner has quietly done the hardest thing in baseball: hit consistently. Maybe the league wants us to forget about batting titles. But if Nico brings one back to Chicago for the first time in 20 years, he’ll make sure we remember.