{"id":244151,"date":"2025-08-13T02:56:13","date_gmt":"2025-08-13T02:56:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/244151\/"},"modified":"2025-08-13T02:56:13","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T02:56:13","slug":"1-cubs-player-who-will-make-or-break-2025-playoff-chances","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/244151\/","title":{"rendered":"1 Cubs\u2019 player who will make or break 2025 playoff chances"},"content":{"rendered":"

The post 1 Cubs\u2019 player who will make or break 2025 playoff chances<\/a> appeared first on ClutchPoints<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Chicago Cubs<\/a> are 67-50 heading into their series opener against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Cubs start the three-game set with far more on the line. Even though Kyle Tucker<\/a> and Pete Crow-Armstrong are in National League MVP conversation<\/a>, Chicago has fallen behind in their own division. Dansby Swanson\u2019s infield partner, Nico Hoerner, could play a big role in a turnaround.<\/p>\n

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Tucker, Crow-Armstrong, and Seiya Suzuki have led the way for the Cubs this season. Despite the recent draught, Chicago ranks within the top six in the league when it comes to runs scored, RBIs, home runs, and batting average. The team\u2019s stars are a big reason why the team is so good, but they aren\u2019t alone. Players like Hoerner and Michael Busch are essential pieces to the puzzle.<\/p>\n

Hoerner himself flies under the radar for multiple reasons. First and foremost, playing alongside a former All-Star leaves the infielder in the shadows. Chicago embraced Swanson when he arrived<\/a>, and he is one of the faces of the team. His popularity helps and hurts Hoerner. If he were somewhere else, he would receive more praise, even if there is more pressure on him.<\/p>\n

Luckily for the Cubs, Hoerner does not want to go anywhere. He has done well in his role this season and has the Cubs in position to get back to the postseason for the first time since 2020. Even though the second baseman sits near the end of Chicago\u2019s order, Hoerner\u2019s contributions have swung games in the Cubs\u2019 favor this season. There is no reason why he can\u2019t do it in the playoffs.<\/p>\n

At the end of the day, Chicago will go as far as their stars take them this season. However, Hoerner serves as a secret weapon. If he comes through, the Cubs are dangerous.<\/p>\n

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Hoerner is a perfect playoff hitter\"Rafael<\/p>\n

Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Sluggers like Shohei Ohtani and Kyle Schwarber can change games with one swing. However, modern Major League Baseball teams want to maximize their power. Now, the second spot in a lineup is reserved for those hitters. The spots surrounding it are filled by a high contact batters who can be nuisances on the base paths. Fortunately for the Cubs, Hoerner can do both.<\/p>\n

The second baseman has an OBP of .340 with 19 stolen bases<\/a> so far this season. Hoerner has made the most of his opportunities to steal on a team near the top of the league. That kind of production gives Cubs manager Craig Counsell another option to turn to if Michael Busch struggles. Hoerner\u2019s clutch hitting brings value, no matter where in the order he sits.<\/p>\n

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Hoerner\u2019s value does not come through when looking at his numbers. However, he is a dream for players like Crow-Armstrong and Tucker. For a player who didn\u2019t participate in the Home Run Derby, Crow-Armstrong\u2019s<\/a> power is among the league\u2019s best. Home runs from him, Suzuki, and Tucker could go from solo shots to two-run moon shots if Hoerner\u2019s production maintains.<\/p>\n

Hoerner and Swanson give teeth to the middle of the order\"David<\/p>\n

David Banks-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Hoerner and Swanson bat seventh and eighth in Counsell\u2019s order. If they were on different teams, it is likely that each of them would be much higher. With the Cubs\u2019 offense generating so many runs at the top of their lineup, their spot in the order is a great problem for Chicago to have. They make the second and third innings of playoff games a nightmare for opposing pitchers.<\/p>\n

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Every single playoff team in the field has talented batters everywhere. However, Hoerner and Swanson are near the top of the pile when it comes to talent deep in an order. While pitchers have some relief once they get to the back of a rotation, the Cubs don\u2019t give their opponents that luxury. While Chicago has not been in many comeback situations, Hoerner and Co. can do so in a hurry<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As is the case with all of this year\u2019s playoff teams, the biggest threats bat first. However, Hoerner and Swanson have the ability to give their stars runners on base when they take clutch at-bats late in close games. Swanson has leaned into the young, energetic attitude of this year\u2019s Cubs team<\/a>. The team hopes that he and Hoerner can keep those rallies going when it matters most.<\/p>\n

Hoerner\u2019s glove is as big an asset as his bat is\"Patrick<\/p>\n

Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

When the Cubs won their first championship in 2016, Ben Zobrist served as the team\u2019s everyday second baseman. He was not as big a star as Javier Baez, Anthony Rizzo, or Kris Bryant, but he ended up winning World Series MVP. He was an offensive force in that series, but his defense made him an essential piece to the title team. Hoerner can do the same thing for the 2025 team.<\/p>\n

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Hoerner\u2019s 1.7 DWAR<\/a> is near the best on Chicago\u2019s roster. His partnership with Swanson at the middle of the Cubs\u2019 infield has made the duo one of the best at turning double plays. Those kind of highlights can swing momentum in Chicago\u2019s favor, which could help them secure wins down the stretch of the regular season. In the playoffs, it becomes even more impactful.<\/p>\n

Hoerner is a big part of the Cubs\u2019 team this year. His ejections have galvanized Chicago<\/a> to wins and lit a fire under the fan base. Cubs fans can see similarities between this year\u2019s team and the title team from 2016. However, they need a strong finish to the season in order to enter the playoffs with enough momentum to win it all. Hoerner is one name to watch as they continue to fight.<\/p>\n

Related: Cubs\u2019 Pete Crow-Armstrong gets honest admission from MLB Network<\/a><\/p>\n

Related: Matt Shaw\u2019s breakout a silver lining of Cubs\u2019 ugly offensive slump<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The post 1 Cubs\u2019 player who will make or break 2025 playoff chances appeared first on ClutchPoints. The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":244152,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2288],"tags":[3882,5,32982,24,733,1329,402,81,29,2328,2304,37,4,2305,2303,33,35,105,468,235,70],"class_list":{"0":"post-244151","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mlb-postseason","8":"tag-anthony-rizzo","9":"tag-baseball","10":"tag-ben-zobrist","11":"tag-chicago-cubs","12":"tag-dansby-swanson","13":"tag-javier-baez","14":"tag-kris-bryant","15":"tag-kyle-schwarber","16":"tag-kyle-tucker","17":"tag-major-league-baseball-playoffs","18":"tag-major-league-baseball-postseason","19":"tag-michael-busch","20":"tag-mlb","21":"tag-mlb-playoffs","22":"tag-mlb-postseason","23":"tag-nico-hoerner","24":"tag-pete-crow-armstrong","25":"tag-seiya-suzuki","26":"tag-shohei-ohtani","27":"tag-team","28":"tag-toronto-blue-jays"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/115019211388676752","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244151","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=244151"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244151\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/244152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=244151"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=244151"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=244151"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}