Watch: Nico Hoerner’s Incredible Perspective on Playing Professional Baseball While Finishing College

Nice Hoerner dove straight into the hearts of Cubs fans last year when he hit the first pitch he ever saw at Wrigley Field straight over the center-field wall. He was an unexpected call-up for a team needing a fill-in at shortstop during the midst of a playoff push and, boy, did he perform well.

Hoerner ended the 2019 season with a slash line of .282/.305/.436 that included 17 RBI, 13 runs, and three home runs over 20 games. Extrapolate that out over a full season and you get a gaudy 138 RBI, 106 runs, and 24 homers. That’s impressive by any measure.

So what does a guy who just made his dreams come true go do in the offseason? He goes back to finish his degree at Stanford, of course.

It’d be difficult to watch this and not walk away with the impression that Hoerner is a lot more mature and level-headed than his age might otherwise lead you to believe. The support of his friends and loved ones that we see here is a really cool part of the story as well.

If anything, this really gets me excited about seeing Hoerner play shortstop for many years to come for the Cubs.