Kyle Schwarber is Theo Epstein’s most cherished draft pick so far during his time with the Cubs. Schwarber was selected fourth overall in 2014, made his MLB debut in 2015, tied a Cubs postseason home run record that October and then after missing basically all of 2016 with a brutal ACL injury, Schwarber helped the Cubs win the World Series. Since then, Schwarber hasn’t lived up to the legendary hype, but after a solid 2018 season he’s going back to what made him the fourth pick in 2014, as Schwarber continues to try and prove Theo Epstein right.
Remember back in 2017, when Schwarber was hitting .170, and looked completely lost? Of course Epstein was going to stand behind his guy, but he went well above to stick up for Schwarber.
“If anyone wants to sell their Kyle Schwarber stock, we’re buying,” Epstein said. “If they want to sell low, we’ll buy low. He’s going to have tremendous production at the end of the year. He’s going to have a lot of big hits to help us win games. It just means there’s a lot of hits out there for the rest of the year.
“He hasn’t gotten on track yet, but we have no doubts that he will.”
Schwarber was eventually sent down to Triple-A for a couple weeks in 2017, and after he returned he put up the numbers everyone expects out of him. Schwarber posted a .253/.335/.559 slash line in the second half, with 17 homers in a little more than 200 plate appearances. However, there was plenty of room for improvement and then Schwarber went through his incredible body transformation.
This is what incredible hard work and discipline looks like. Anyone want to bet on Kyle Schwarber not having a big season? I'll take that bet. pic.twitter.com/IRruIjj6zE
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) February 23, 2018
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Schwarber had a 3.2 fWAR season in 2018, led the Cubs in walks with 78, was second on the team with 26 home runs, but there’s still more to be done for Schwarber.
Sure, the Cubs want Schwarber to be a menacing threat in the middle of the order from the left side, hitting more than 30 home runs a year, but Epstein has made it clear in the past. Kyle Schwarber is more than just a slugger.
That was the issue in 2017, when Schwarber hit his low.
“None of us saw this coming,” Epstein said. “But when you look at him, these days he looks more like a slugger than a hitter. I think that’s what our fans who watch him on a nightly basis would say. And Kyle’s a hitter first. If you go back and look, he had 600 plate appearances in the minor leagues, and he’s a career .333 hitter in the minor leagues. He’s not just some all-or-nothing slugger. He’s a hitter first who has power. Obviously, a lot of things have happened this year. It’s gotten away from him. Now it’s sort of just a power game.”
But Schwarber still hasn’t hit for a high average despite the rest of his numbers going back to what everyone expects them to be. The biggest change this offseason for Schwarber is simply going back to the basics.
Cubs slugger Kyle Schwarber has reverted to his old batting stance, which features him in more of a crouch with his knees bent.
“I finally said, ‘screw this.’ I’m going to go back to being simple. Squat, put the foot down and go hit.”https://t.co/tN5uYDVK5h via @MDGonzales pic.twitter.com/2C5sIR99Cq
— Chicago Sports (@ChicagoSports) February 25, 2019
So far in spring training, yeah it’s a small sample size one week in, Schwarber is in the zone, walking eight times in 16 plate appearances. More importantly, Schwarber has looked great against left-handed pitching. In seven plate appearances against lefties so far this spring, Schwarber has three walks and two hits, including an opposite-field double.
Plus, you have to love this two-strike approach.
Kyle Schwarber 2-strike approach pic.twitter.com/9mRRCybhQA
— Aldo Soto (@AldoSoto21) March 1, 2019
In that same game last Friday, Schwarber drilled another ball the other way against a different lefty.
Kyle Schwarber off LHP Marc Rzepczynski – 100.1 mph, 26 degrees (393 ft Flyout, .680 xBA)
91.4 mph Sinker#Cubs @ #Dbacks (T3) pic.twitter.com/D3XvblDP9W— MLBBarrelAlert (@MLBBarrelAlert) March 1, 2019
These are all great signs, but it’s not the first time we’ve seen Schwarber crush it in Arizona. He was playing exceptionally well last spring training, but hopefully the change back to his old batting stance makes Schwarber’s hitting stay consistent throughout the upcoming season.
Via The Athletic.
“It’s something I did my whole life,” Schwarber said of his return to his old stance. “I think it was just time to really get back to being simple and being me. Going out there and see ball, hit ball. Get in a crouch, put the foot down and go swing it.”
Schwarber admitted that his stance has been evolving over the years, but he felt it was time to go back to the basics.
“I think it’s just time to be consistent with something and it’s something that I’ve always done,” he said. “So it’s already ingrained in me. So now being consistent with it is something that’s going to be positive for me.”
Schwarber has a career .238 batting average in 337 MLB games, well below his .334 average in 554 minor league at-bats. Everyone knows Schwarber can hit for power, no matter what his batting stance he’s in, 2019 is all about showing the ability to hit on a regular basis.
And you know, at the same time, prove Theo Epstein was right about him.
“It’s baseball, so you never know. I just know we really believe in the person, and we really believe in the hitter. Yes, I’ve been wrong. But I’ll bet on this guy.”
(Theo Epstein)
