Chicago Cubs: Five things to watch this spring training

Chicago Cubs: One of the most popular young players on the team will have a lot of eyes on him

Fans got a small taste of 22-year old Nice Hoerner last season when he was called up because of need. Hoerner in 20 MLB games hit .282/.305/.536 with three homers, 17 RBI and an 86 wRC+. He is seen as the long term guy at second while Javier Baez mans shortstop. The question remains, is Hoerner ready to play in the bigs for the long run?

He will get a chance to showcase himself again this spring, and no doubt, his goal is to be on the Opening Day roster. He has the advantage of having had a small taste of the majors, so fans have an idea of what to look for while watching him this spring. Regardless of if he is on the roster on Opening Day or not, he will likely be playing on the MLB squad at some point soon. It is worth noting that Hoerner was called up from Double-A ball last year and is yet to play in Triple-A.

Many are betting on him starting the season in Triple-A, especially after bringing in Kipnis, but time will tell for sure.

Every season the feeling of spring training is so high because of how fresh everything feels with a clean slate. Going into 2020, there are more exciting things to come in Mesa than one may realize. Strap it in and enjoy the ride.