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Early on during Spring Training, Cubs manager Joe Maddon announced that Kyle Schwarber would take over the leadoff hitter role from recently departed and now current Cardinal Dexter Fowler. While this may seem like a classic paradoxical move by the Chicago skipper, Maddon isn’t the first to reimagine the leadoff role.
When looking around the majors it doesn’t take long to find other teams moving away from the archetypal leadoff man. The Cleveland Indians relied on Carlos Santana and his career .365 OBP to man the leadoff role for most of 2016. The Dodgers have utilized Logan Forsythe in their leadoff position, and Houston’s George Springer and Colorado’s Charlie Blackmon spent a majority of their time leading off for their respective teams.
When looking at how the Cubs roster is constructed one would assume that super-utility man Ben Zobrist would be the ideal candidate to take over the leadoff role. He’s an equally talented switch-hitter and has the ability to frustrate opposing pitchers by laying off on the close pitches.
However, in a subtly brilliant move by Maddon, he decided to put Schwarber in the leadoff position and elected to keep Zobrist batting fifth in the lineup. By putting Schwarber in the leadoff role, he will see far more at-bats than he would if he were slotted fifth or sixth in the lineup. He’ll also have the benefit of having two of the best hitters in baseball for protection right behind him, with reigning MVP Kris Bryant batting second, and All-Star Anthony Rizzo batting third.
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As the regular season has gotten underway it is obvious Schwarber has the traits needed to be successful at the top of the lineup. He has a particular knack for frustrating opposing pitchers by trusting his eyes and avoiding swinging at questionable pitches on the edge of the strike zone. Which forces the pitcher to actually pitch to get him out instead of around him, especially with Bryant and Rizzo looming. This leads to more favorable pitches where his trademark power can come into play and change a game in an instant.
It’s early, but Kyle Schwarber seems to be more than comfortable in the leadoff role. He has already drawn a walk six times in seven games, which is good for an impressive 17.6% walk rate. His uncanny plate discipline goes even further. If a ball is within the strike zone Schwarber makes contact at an impressive 85% when he decides to swing the bat. As per usual when he swings the bat good things usually happen. On the season he his batting .222/.382/.519 which is more than good enough for the leadoff role.
The added bonus with Schwarber is his power, and ability to hit moonshot home runs at a moment’s notice. So far he’s connected on two this season. The first being a three-run laser against the Cardinals.
Kyle Schwarber 3-run bomb #Cubs lead 5-4. Such a pretty swing. pic.twitter.com/a0xnqRX1Tq
— Aldo Soto (@AldoSoto21) April 6, 2017
His second home run was another monster off the scoreboard in Milwaukee.
Kyle Schwarber sends it deep to center field in Milwaukee to help the Cubs cruise to a win via @ESPN @Cubs https://t.co/NVz0aPzcsJ
— Andrew Hazard (@AndrewOHazard) April 10, 2017
If Kyle Schwarber can keep up his early success in the leadoff role, it should go a long way in helping the Cubs field the most dynamic offense in baseball. The rest of MLB better watch out.
