Swanson, Hoerner show off budding chemistry in Cubs’ infield

MESA, Ariz. -- It did not take long for the Cubs' new double-play partnership to show off its potential. Five batters into the club's spring opener on Saturday, San Francisco's Brandon Crawford pulled a pitch into an ideal patch of dirt.

Second baseman Nico Hoerner barely needed to move his feet as he gobbled up the grounder and made a quick turn to throw. Shortstop Dansby Swanson glided across second, receiving the relay before hurdling a sliding runner. He fired the ball to first baseman Eric Hosmer to complete the job.

One pitch. Two outs.

"That's going to be such a smooth infield," Cubs catcher Yan Gomes said.

That's the idea.

Run prevention was a clear point of emphasis in the Cubs' roster construction over the offseason. The biggest component to the plan was reeling in baseball's best defensive shortstop in Swanson and pairing him with Hoerner, who was agreeable to a move to second in the name of winning.

Known for his signature sinkerball, Cubs starter Marcus Stroman quipped earlier this spring that his "sanker's gonna be sankin'" with Swanson and Hoerner behind him. In Saturday's 10-8 win over the Giants, Stroman saw the duo in action first-hand during his two-inning spring debut.

"It's just crazy to look back and see Dansby," Stroman said. "And then Nico, who's an incredible shortstop, now he's over at second. It's pretty special."

Over the better part of the past two weeks, Swanson and Hoerner have been getting to know each other on the practice diamonds around the Cubs' complex. They have worked together on the half-diamond, gone through drills on Field 1 and engaged in plenty of conversations behind the scenes.

Hoerner is no stranger to manning second base -- he was a Gold Glove finalist at the position in 2020 -- and he has worked with a gifted shortstop in the past in Javier Báez. Hoerner said the biggest part of the learning process with Swanson is just getting used to his on-field movements and tendencies.

"Part of it is unspoken, just like feeling out another person's rhythm," Hoerner said. "And just how they move in general. It is easier with good players, so that definitely helps."

That Swanson and Hoerner were paired together for the Cactus League opener was not just for show. Manager David Ross plans on keeping their schedules aligned as much as possible in order to expedite the process of building that on-field rapport in a game environment.

"It's about them getting comfortable with each other," Ross said. "And feeling just how guys function, what they attack. And turning the double play, how guys approach the bag. They work in practice, but feeling that in-game and getting used to one another -- the communication, the subtleties on cut-offs and relays, little things like that -- there's no substitution for game reps."

Swanson said the first two weeks of working together are key to getting the partnership rolling.

"After that," he said, "you really start building that strong chemistry to where things really, really flow. Kind of to the naked eye it looks great, but I think we both believe that there's still some things that we can kind of hone in on and hopefully improve upon."

Last season, Swanson posted a Major League-best 21 Outs Above Average at shortstop, per Statcast. One of the reasons the Cubs were willing to sign him to a seven-year, $177 million deal was the belief that he has the potential to stay at shortstop for the length of the contract.

Hoerner notched 13 OAA as the Cubs' full-time shortstop last season, trailing only Swanson in that category. As MLB.com's Mike Petriello pointed out in a piece earlier this month, Hoerner was elite on the right side, logging five OAA while playing in the shift last year.

With MLB's new shift guidelines in place, having this current defensive combination should give the Cubs one of the best duos up the middle in the game.

"I mean, I already think they're pretty elite," Stroman said. "But the more camaraderie and the more they start to gel together, I think you're going to start to see some pretty incredible plays."

It only took one inning for Swanson and Hoerner to collect their first double play.

"This front office, this team, made it a point to put defense out there," Gomes said. "It's been a lot of fun, and it's going to be a lot of fun."