Cubs standout Nico Hoerner tops our NL Central second baseman rankings

Our NL Central rankings series moves to the keystone today, which houses two of the elite contact and defense guys in all the National League plus a dark horse All-Star candidate. We also see the Chicago Cubs take the top spot for the first time so far. If you missed them, we've already ranked catchers in the division as well as the first basemen. We'll go around the diamond, DH, starting staff and bullpen and then synthesize all of that into team rankings before Opening Day.

1. Nico Hoerner, Chicago Cubs

Is it fair to say that Nico Hoerner has become significantly undervalued among Cubs fans this offseason? Second basemen that average 4.0 WAR over a three-year period don't grow on trees, and Hoerner was also suffering through an undisclosed injury last year. At 27, the former first-rounder is the elder statesman of the group below.

The Stanford standout's contact skills are the best of any Cub I can recall: his Whiff and K% have been between the 95th and 99th percentile over the past few years (both 99th in 2024). His hand injury most likely sapped some of his power, leading to the lower slugging percentage. It probably figured in his career-worst (but still very good) fielding metrics.

Hoerner could get a late start to the 2025 season as he recovers from the offseason flexor surgery - but that shouldn't dampen expectations for the 2023 Gold Glover. For months, there's been a ton of smoke around a potential Hoerner, but it is pretty hard to see it making sense barring an unlikely Alex Bregman addition. The Cubs already have a rookie penciled in at third in Matt Shaw and heading into a season with a Vidal Brujan/James Triantos combination at second doesn't exactly scream 'playoff contender'.

2nd: Matt McLain, Cincinnati Reds

I'm warning Cubs fans now - Matt McClain could end up being the most valuable player not just at the position but across the entire division if he is able to extrapolate his 2023 half-season into a full 2025. McLain provides a power/speed skillset that could make him and teammate Elly De La Cruz the most electric double play combination in the game. McLain also grades out very well as a defender at second after being more of a question mark at shortstop in the minor leagues. He rung up WAR at a startling rate in his abbreviated rookie year, posting nearly 4.0 bWAR in under 90 games.

McLain was a well-regarded prospect prior to his breakout, but never an elite one. It will be fascinating to see a full year from the former UCLA Bruin. He strikes out a ton but makes hard contact when he doesn't miss. McLain is a key player to watch in 2025 for the Central: if he's a 20-to-30 homer guy, the compact second baseman transforms the middle of the Reds lineup.

3rd: Brice Turang, Milwaukee Brewers

With his elite speed and hyper-short swing length, BriceTurang would be one of my favorite players if he played outside the division. He made some good progress in his second season up north, improving his xBA, defensive metrics and contact ability while swiping 50 bags and ringing up a startling 4.7 WAR.

That being said, Turang has a lot of obvious vulnerabilities in his game so far. Despite the gaudy WAR number, he posted just a 85 OPS+. He doesn't get on-base enough yet- combined with his lack of slugging, it's really hard for him to provide league average value at the plate. The defense is legit: good enough to win a Gold Glove. If Turang makes the same jump from 2024-2025 as he did the year prior, he essentially turns into a clone of healthy Hoerner.

4. Nolan Gorman, St. Louis Cardinals

Former top prospect Nolan Gorman took a massive step back last year after mashing 27 homers and posting a .478 slugging percentage in 119 games in 2023. He's the literal opposite of Hoerner and Tirang: the Cardinal infielder finished in the first percentile in whiff and K rate (meaning he is the worst qualified hitter in those categories or close to the worst).

A 38 percent strikeout rate will make it hard to provide any type of value at the plate, even with a ton of slugging. Gorman also grades out as a bad to terrible fielder, a below-average baserunner and a poor contact guy. The man is in the bigs based on his ability to hit the ball hard and he leans into it quite a bit. That being said, he needs a massive improvement in his peripheral abilities to hold onto the second base job much longer in St. Louis. If Gorman could hit for just a bit higher average and improve his defense marginally, he becomes a valuable player akin to Brandon Lowe or a Dan Uggla.

5. Nick Gonzales, Pittsburgh Pirates

Nick Gonzales is yet another young player who took a massive step forward in 2024, and projects to be in the Hoerner/Tirang mold. He makes a lot of contact, doesn't walk much and provides a ton of speed. There's a pretty clear path to improvement for him as well - get better against the breaking pitch.

He's hit under .220 against breaking balls so far in his career. Gonzales was a former top-20 prospect so he has the pedigree to make another big jump in 2025. He has absolutely dominated minor league pitching to the tune of a .905 OPS, so it will be fascinating to see if the Pirates organization can help him manifest that slugging and on-base skills against big league pitching.