“You want this guy on your team every day of the week and twice on Sunday.”
Mark DeRosa takes us through @Cubs 2B Nico Hoerner and the complete package of a player he is.
This was an exceptional awareness base running play by Nico Hoerner in yesterday’s Cub-Phillies game. He was on the front end of a double steal. The ball got by Bohm & Nico had his head on a swivel looking towards the OF & saw the ball get way from Bohm. He also saw Tuner sliding to stop the ball. He had the presence of mind to stay with the ball even though he shut it down( For sure got verbal help from Quintin Berry 3B Coach) Turner stops the ball & as he starts to throw the ball it slips out of his hand. Nico reacts & scores.
“Earning and deserving the confidence that you play with because of the work that you put in and then not being afraid of failure,” Steph Curry
Confidence isn’t something you feel, it’s something you earn with relentless will and practice.
For Healthcare Appreciation Night at Dodger Stadium, Alex and Kayla Vesia invited the staff that helped them through the passing of their newborn daughter Sterling in October
Alex says he was about to cry after striking out all three batters he faced to close out the win
Wow — I’ve got to say, DB coach Aaron Henry might be my favorite coach to interview. He’s incredibly articulate, super thoughtful and somehow always leaves you with more wisdom than you came in with.
Today I asked him how he balances coaching guys hard without overwhelming them with too much detail, and he gave me nearly a four-minute answer:
Plus momentum steal timing by PCA. Big takeaway is the team aspect of this play. Hoerner takes the pitch with one strike knowing that PCA has a great jump & will be safe. Also speaks to Hoerner’s confidence in hitting with two strikes. Certainly Hoerner has the option to swing & drive the ball into the gaps.
Pete Crow-Armstrong recorded his first 5-Star catch of the season yesterday.
This ball of the bat off Jacob Young had a 5% catch probability, requiring PCA to cover 68 feet in 3.9 seconds to make the sliding grab.
Cut off & relay execution doesn’t get better than this on a 2 out EBH into LCF.
1) PCA gets the ball airborne quickly.
2) Swanson handles a tough hop & makes an accurate throw to HP.
3) Kelly with a one handed sweep tag with runner & ball arriving at same time.
Immense baseball IQ play here from three of the best HWA(How to win awareness) guys in baseball) Very subtle play.
1) With 2 outs & a runner on 1B Hoerner keeps the ball in the infield & makes 180 spin throw to 3B.
2) Bregman realizes that there is no play at 3B & comes out to get the ball & redirects it to 2B.
3) Swanson fake cuts the throw to 3B & slows the runner(Wiemer) down enough to have a play at 2B.
4) After the fake cut Swanson retreats to 2B in time to get Bregman’s redirected throw for the 3rd out of the inning.
BE SURE TO EXPAND & SLOW THIS VID TO EXPERIENCE THE FULL AFFECT OF THIS PLAY