Nico Hoerner 2026 Fantasy Baseball Outlook: How He Fits Different Team Builds

A fantasy baseball draft analysis of Nico Hoerner’s batting-average floor, stolen-base upside, and why his low-power profile makes him format- and build-dependent.

Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner (2) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Wrigley Field. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Nico Hoerner remains one of the most polarizing middle infielders in fantasy baseball, offering elite contact skills and speed while providing minimal power for traditional roster builds. With an NFBC ADP near 100, understanding how his category juice fits specific draft strategies is the key to unlocking his true value in 2026.

2B4 – Nico Hoerner, Chicago Cubs (NFBC ADP – 96)

Hoerner continued to have a tweener skill set that doesn’t work for all team builds in the fantasy market. He puts a ton of balls in play, highlighted by his career low strikeout rate (7.6%) and below-par walk rate (6.0). As a result, his contact batting average (.324) has a low ceiling over the past four years. Any hope of double-digit home runs looks questionable based on his four-year low in his average hit rate (1.326).

His bat played well against lefties (.369/23/4/16/22 over 141 at-bats). Hoerner didn’t hit a home run over his first 285 at-bats while grading well in runs (41), steals (14), and batting average (.288). He finished 47th in FPGscore (2.74), up six spots from 2024 (0.94 – 53rd).

Hoerner posted a career-high launch angle (12.5) and flyball rate (34.3%), but his HR/FB rate (3.7%) was the lowest of his career. He finished with about his career average in his exit velocity (86.7) and barrel rate (2.3%). His hard-hit rate (30.3%) has been below his career average (30.3%) over the past two seasons.

Nico Hoerner 2026 Fantasy Baseball Outlook

Fantasy Outlook: Hoerner hits in a favorable part of the batting order, helping his value in runs and his stolen base opportunities. He had regression with runners on base (RBI rate – 13.9%) while coming to the plate with the most RBI chances (395) of his career. I don’t see much room for improvement in his stats, putting him on a path to hit .280 with about 85 runs, below 10 home runs, 55 RBIs, and 30 steals.