(670 The Score) Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner believes third baseman Nick Madrigal’s defense has been an underappreciated development for the team this season.
After transitioning from second base to third base in spring training, Madrigal has displayed his defensive prowess at the hot corner. That included on a spinning, highlight-reel play to record an out in the top of the fourth inning of the Cubs’ 6-2 loss to the Brewers on Monday.
“I’ve been watching him make amazing plays since we were like 11 years old,” Hoerner said on the Parkins & Spiegel Show on Tuesday afternoon. “He’s just got unbelievable hands. I think people just don’t understand how hard it is to go from the middle of the infield to third base when you’ve never played there before. I mean, he’s played second and short his whole life and been really, really good at it. Third base is a beast, man. That ball gets on you. And it’s totally different playing at the big league level than like college and high school just with how hard guys hit the ball and the top spin. Obviously, the throw too. And he’s tackled that position really admirably. There were some doubters early on in the year and back to spring training and stuff, but he’s really, really made it work. Just hats off to him for that.”
Madrigal has saved five runs at third base in 2023, which ranks seventh in MLB, according to Fielding Bible. Five of the six players in front of him in that department have played about twice as many innings at third base as Madrigal this season. Madrigal has logged 440 2/3 innings at third base across 57 games. He’s also played second base in 14 games for the Cubs this season.
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