Cubs’ Justin Steele rips top 100 list for leaving teammate Nico Hoerner off

With most of the big free agents having already found their new homes for the 2026 season (and beyond), the MLB offseason is grinding to a halt. Teams are already agreeing to arbitration numbers with a few of their players as well, and with Spring Training still a few weeks away, now seems to be the perfect time to rank players heading into the new season.

As is the case with these kinds of rankings, not everyone is going to be pleased with the exclusion of certain players who have strong cases to be included. MLB Network released its Top 100 list a few days ago and this caught the eye of Chicago Cubs starter Justin Steele, who himself wasn’t in the list.

But Steele did not decry his exclusion from the Top 100. He was more so agitated by the fact that Cubs outfielder Nico Hoerner wasn’t even though he’s coming off a strong 2025 season.

“Was just brought to my attention that Nico Hoerner wasn’t on the top 100 list. I wouldn’t take that list very seriously if that’s the case. Whoever made it was obviously not trying to be locked in or take it too serious. The numbers speak for themselves,” Steele wrote on his official X account.

Cubs’ Justin Steele has a point regarding Nico Hoerner’s Top 100 exclusion

A player can contribute in a variety of ways in the sport of baseball. Even though some players like Hoerner lack power production, they more than make up for it with their excellence in other areas.

Hoerner was one of the best defensive middle infielders last season, and he had a knack for reaching base as well. He may have had just seven homers, but he still posted an OPS of .739, which is perfectly acceptable for an elite defensive second baseman. He also ran the bases excellently, stealing 29 bases.

Overall, the Cubs second baseman had an fWAR of 4.8 in 2025, and he’s racked up 19.1 fWAR over the past five seasons. He certainly is deserving of a Top 100 spot, although those lists are subjective anyway.

The post Cubs’ Justin Steele rips top 100 list for leaving teammate Nico Hoerner off appeared first on ClutchPoints.