Cubs select Stanford shortstop Nico Hoerner with No. 24 pick in MLB draft

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The Cubs don't have a shortage of middle infield talent, but the MLB draft is all about getting the best available talent.

With that in mind, the Cubs selected Stanford shortstop Nico Hoerner with the 24th pick in the 2018 MLB Draft.

Hoerner wasn't necessarily on the radar as a first-round talent, coming in at No. 52 in MLB Pipeline's prospect rankings and No. 39 in Fangraph's rankings. However, he hit plenty at Stanford.

Hoerner hit .345 with a .391 on-base percentage and a .496 slugging percentage. He only hit two home runs, but had 20 walks against just 22 strikeouts in 232 at-bats.

The Oakland native was All-Pac 12 and All-Pac 12 defensive team as a sophomore. He hit .307 as a sophomore, but the defensive honor is notable for a player who some scouts are questioning if he can stick at shortstop.

“Nico is a talented middle infielder who handles the bat extremely well, hits to all fields and has a high contact rate," Cubs scouting director Jason McLeod said in a press release. "He hits the ball hard, and we think there is more power to come. He has multiple tools on the field, and all the background work we did shows he has incredible make-up. He fits exactly what we’re looking for in the organization.”

Hoerner raised his profile by hitting .300 in the Cape Cod League last summer. His big junior season, which included All-Pac 12 honors for the second straight year, propelled him up draft boards.

Stanford won the Pac 12 this season, but got knocked out in its own regional by Cal State Fullerton.

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