Cubs prospect Nico Hoerner, the 24th pick in the 2018 draft, wasn’t projected to arrive on the major-league scene until 2020 at the earliest.
But injuries at shortstop necessitated Hoerner’s promotion Monday despite him never having played above Double A.
Hoerner singled in his first major-league at-bat off former Stanford teammate Cal Quantrill and later hit a two-run triple and two-run single in the Cubs’ 10-2 victory against the Padres. He finished 3-for-5 with four RBIs.
Hoerner became the sixth Cubs player since 1985 to make his big-league debut within two seasons after he was drafted, according to team historian Ed Hartig.
The five previous players:
1. Rafael Palmeiro, OF
First-round pick (No. 22 overall) in the 1985 draft out of Mississippi State. Made his major-league debut Sept. 8, 1986.
2. Mike Harkey, RHP
First round (No. 4) in 1988 out of Cal-State Fullerton. Made his major-league debut Sept. 5, 1988.
3. Lance Dickson, LHP
First round (No. 23) out of Arizona. Made his major-league debut Aug. 9, 1990.
4. Mark Prior, RHP
First round (No. 2) in 2002 out of USC. Made his major-league debut May 22, 2002.
5. Kyle Schwarber, C
First round (No. 4) in 2014 out of Indiana. Made his major-league debut June 16, 2015.
The last middle infielder to make his Cubs debut within a year after he was drafted was shortstop Roger Metzger, who was the 16th pick in 1969. Metzger made his major-league debut on June 16, 1970, filling in for Don Kessinger, who was serving a short stay with his U.S. Army Reserve Unit, according to Hartig.
That was Metzger’s only game with the Cubs, who traded him to the Astros after the season.