Cubs' Hoerner, O's McKenna win AFL's Final 2 Vote

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The fans have spoken, the votes have been tallied and Nico Hoerner and Ryan McKenna have won the Arizona Fall League Final 2 Vote and been added to the rosters for Saturday's Fall Stars Game.
Hoerner, the Cubs' No. 6 prospect, was chosen over Jazz Chisholm (D-backs) and Arquimedes Gamboa (Phillies) and added to the East Roster.
McKenna, the Orioles' No. 12 prospect, was chosen over Julio Pablo Martinez (Rangers) and Thairo Estrada (Yankees).
"It's awesome," McKenna said. "I know I've gotten a lot of support and people reaching out to me. Everybody who voted is awesome. Even if you didn't, I appreciated the support throughout this career and I'm excited to go at it Saturday."
Hoerner has hit well in the Fall League -- .350 with eight RBIs through 14 games -- despite having very little professional experience under his belt. The 21-year-old was selected in the first round of the 2018 Draft (24th overall), but played in just 14 games before he strained some ligaments in his elbow and missed the remainder of the year.
Hoerner hit .327 over those 14 Fall League games after working his way up to Class A South Bend during the regular season. The time off may have caused a bit of rust as he got off to a slow start in the Fall League, but the shortstop has found his rhythm lately and has multiple hits in four of his past five games.
McKenna put together the best offensive season of his career, slashing . 315/.410/.457 across two levels and has carried that momentum with him to Arizona, where he is hitting .404 through 12 games.
Prior to finding out he made the Fall Stars roster, McKenna led the way in Glendale's 12-6 win over Salt River on Wednesday, going 4-for-6 with a double and a homer. Both the double (102.7 mph) and the homer (105.1 mph) had exit velocities over 100 mph.
"Just applying a lot of the stuff that I worked on during the season, trying to get good pitches when you can get in hitters' counts, get a good rhythm going and try to execute when you can," McKenna said.
While McKenna will undoubtedly try to put together another strong performance in the Fall Stars Game, he also will be sure to take the time to simply enjoy the opportunity and soak in the experience.
"Those are just fun experiences you get to enjoy," McKenna said. "Meeting new people and just the environment itself is what I'm looking forward to."