Nico Hoerner cements himself as one of the most consistent Cubs of recent memory

Kyle Tucker, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Shota Imanaga. Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki. Those are the names you hear most often when national baseball fans talk about the Chicago Cubs. One name that, even after parts of seven years in the big leagues, continues to fly under the radar is Gold Glove infielder Nico Hoerner.

With elite bat-to-ball skills, strong base running and unmatched defensive prowess at the keystone, Hoerner is on pace for a 5.0 bWAR season, something he's done just once before - in 2023. But looking over the last four years, he's averaged 4.5 bWAR, compiling 18.1 bWAR since the start of the 2022 campaign. It's been a long time since a Cubs player delivered that level of annual production, and Hoerner's impact can't be overstated.

Over the last month, as Chicago's offense struggled to find any sort of ryhthm, Hoerner quietly batted .326, one of the few bright spots on the team since the All-Star break. He's been especially potent against southpaw pitching this season, batting .336 and getting on base at a .368 clip. Some make the case he could adapt his skillset a bit to cause more damage, but it's hard to argue with the end results.

Nico Hoerner is the Cubs' best second baseman in decades

Hoerner is the Cubs' most consistent long-term contributor at second base since Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg. There have been standouts at the position over the years: Ben Zobrist and Javier Baez stand out, in particular, but none were long-term solutions at the position. Zobrist played more of a utility role for Joe Maddon and Baez split time at both middle infield positions, with his best seasons coming as a shortstop, not a second baseman.

There's almost no discernible home-road splits to Hoerner's game and he avoids the ups-and-downs that often affect players over the course of a 162-game season. Even when he's cold at the plate, his defense helps him deliver a solidly above-average floor, something every team with postseason aspirations needs.

He'll never be the face of the franchise or take top billing at an event. But make no mistake. Nico Hoerner isn't just one of the Cubs' most valuable players, but one of the most complete all-around middle infielders in the game today - and that's been the case for longer than a lot of folks realize.