Cubs positional preview: Swanson signing shifts Hoerner back to second base

The Cubs knew Nico Hoerner was going to be a starting infielder this season.

The only question was, where?

Before Dansby Swanson signed a seven-year, $177 million contract in December, Hoerner was still No. 1 on the depth chart at shortstop.

That is Swanson's position, so Hoerner is shifting back to second base.

"I don't think it's that big of a challenge, honestly," Hoerner told reporters at the Cubs' spring training camp. "It's something that I've done before. I've played it for multiple years. I think shortstop is a little bit more natural for me, but definitely ready to play second base."

Before replacing Javier Baez as the Cubs starting shortstop last season, Hoerner played 37 games at second base in 2020 and 30 in 2021.

While he might be more comfortable at short, Hoerner was open to a move as far back as late last season, when it became apparent Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer was going after one of the multiple star shortstops on the free-agent market.

"Nico's an impressive human, right?" manager David Ross said. "Even playing a phenomenal shortstop for us last year, he's willing to take that move and that jump because he knows he wants to win and that's going to make us better. So his mentality never changes."

Hoerner has also played some third base since joining the Cubs late in the 2019 season.

Defense has never been a problem. Staying healthy was a big issue for Hoerner in 2021, when he landed on the injured list four times and played only 44 games.

Last season, the Cubs' 2018 first-round draft pick played in 125 games and hit .281/.327/.410 with 10 home runs, 55 RBI and 20 stolen bases.

"A huge factor for me was just the amount of at-bats I was able to have last year," Hoerner said. "You can always work hard in the off-season but until it's really based on the game itself, it's not worth that much. To have that feedback and start facing guys multiple times again this year, all that stuff really compounds into just overall improvement."

The Cubs used eight players at second base last season, and Hoerner wasn't one of them.

Nick Madrigal led the pack with 59 games at second, and he figures to be Hoerner's primary backup.

This spring, Madrigal's also getting a look at third base.

"I'm just preparing for whatever they throw at me," Madrigal said. "I'm preparing to do my job, whatever that looks like."

Christopher Morel played all over the field as a rookie last season and was used at second base 33 times. He's a depth option at the position this year.

Mastrobuoni, who was acquired in a November trade with Tampa Bay, and David Bote are other second base candidates in Cubs camp.

Mastrobuoni has spent most of his six-year career in the minor leagues. He made his major-league debut last September and was 3-for-16 in 8 games with the Rays.

Bote, who has been slowed by shoulder issues the past two years, was outrighted in November and is at spring training as a non-roster player.