(670 The Score) The Cubs entered spring training in February needing to answer the question of who would start at second base and closed camp in Arizona with a difficult decision at the position.
The Cubs saw all four candidates for second base -- David Bote, Nico Hoerner, Eric Sogard and Ildemaro Vargas -- make a strong case to play. Ultimately, the Cubs decided Bote would be their primary second baseman and also included the lefty-swinging Sogard on their Opening Day roster as a complement to the right-handed Bote.
That meant Hoerner and Vargas were sent to the Cubs' alternate site, a decision that raised eyebrows externally. That's because Hoerner had a strong spring and was also a Gold Glove finalist in 2020. Beyond that, the Cubs will gain an extra year of contract control on Hoerner, their first-round pick in 2018, if he remains off the big league roster for the first 36 days of the regular season.
Amid that narrative, Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer turned the focus to Bote's superb play in explaining the team's decision.
"David Bote won that job," Hoyer said Wednesday. "He played great. I think there's a strong desire, both from the front office as well as the coaching staff, to give him that opportunity. You know, for four years, he's been on this team, he's been a big part of it, but kind of in an uncertain role -- playing when guys get hurt, playing here and there. He's never been able to have the job, be a starting third baseman or second baseman. We feel like it's important to give him that opportunity. He's earned it.
"We need to give Eric Sogard starts at second base. It's impossible to be an effective bench player if you don't get the at-bats. You need to play. And so it was our decision since David won that job, since Eric is on the team, we felt like carrying Nico in a role where he was sort of the 26th guy, playing sparingly, we didn't feel like that was the best thing for his development and, frankly, we didn't think that was the best thing for the Cubs.
"When he comes up, we see him as a starting player. We think he's a fantastic player going forward. He has a real impact on the clubhouse and real impact on the team. But having him sort of playing sparingly, getting stale and then being not as effective if we have an injury, it didn't make a lot of sense for us."
Hoerner, 23, has a career slash line of .247/.309/.333 over 208 career plate appearances and 68 games in the big leagues. He hit .222 with a .571 OPS in 48 games in the shortened 2020 season. Hoerner flashed potential during the spring with a slash line of .364/.396/.659 in 48 plate appearances.
Bote, 27, has been with the Cubs since 2018. He has a career slash line of .240/.338/.415 over 711 career plate appearances. Bote has played every position except pitcher, catcher and center field with the Cubs but has never been considered the primary starter at a position.
The Cubs host the Pirates at Wrigley Field in their season opener Thursday. First pitch is scheduled for 1:20 p.m. CT. The radio broadcast can be heard on 670 The Score, with pregame coverage starting at 12:45 p.m.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.