Over the next year or two this Cubs team is going to go through quite a transformation. Theo left Jed with colliding contracts and a ton of work. And just as the Jon Lester signing was to the positive upward trend for the team in 2014, this Kyle Schwarber release is to the downward realization of change. It’s not that the move was the wrong thing to do, it’s that it again emphasizes the drastic changes that are ahead for the Cubs.
Kyle Schwarber will always be remembered by Cubs fans for his moon shots to DEEP right field. I can still remember the NLDS game in 2015 that I attended up in section 518 (best seats in the house) when Kyle Schwarber stepped up to the plate and hit a towering shot to right. It was the first and only time that I’ve ever seen a ball disappear at Wrigley. The ball came off the bat and was lost above and beyond the stadium overhang only to come down seconds later and land on top of the new Budweiser scoreboard on Sheffield. I fell back in my chair in amazement. That’s what Kyle was known for. Monster bombs that made your jaw drop. Oh, and his legendary World Series comeback.
2016 started off in a sad place. Just 3 games in, Schwarbs blew out his knee after colliding with Dexter Fowler in Left Center field. Out for the year…or so we thought. Kyle grinded every single day because he was told there was a small chance he could return for October baseball. This dude stood in a batting cage without a bat and just watched balls and strikes to stay ready. I’ll never forget sitting at my desk at work as he came up to the plate in an Arizona Fall League game and grounded out to 2nd. One of the most electric groundouts in the history of the Arizona Fall League. I thought to myself, there’s no way that guy is ready to hit in the World Series. And boy was I wrong. Schwarbs went 7 for 17 with 3 walks, a double, and 2 RBIs in the series. Getting on base one last time to lead off the 10th inning to help secure Chicago’s 1st World Series Championship in over a century. Chills.
Outside of memories, Kyle was also a really good baseball player. I know that sounds obvious for someone in the MLB, but Kyle Schwarber is one of the most scrutinized players on the Cubs (next to Kris Bryant). But offensive stats speak for themselves:
Definitions for all offensive stats: https://library.fangraphs.com/offense/offensive-statistics-list/
All Qualifying Left Fielders (41) | 2017 – 2019
· 10th in SLG
· 13th in WAR
· 3rd in HRs
· 12th in OPS
· 3rd in ISO
· 13th in WRC+
· Top 20 each year in At Bats/Home Run (Among All MLB Players)
Yes, his batting average is low. But he will never be a player that can be measured by a simple statistic like that. He’s a masher. A slugger. A freak. And the above offensive stats help paint a better picture of what he brought to this team at the plate.
As for the defensive part of his game, Schwarber was only improving. He was drafted by the Cubs in 2014 as a catcher out of Indiana University (shoutout Big Ten). Being that he wasn’t an amazing defensive catcher and that he didn’t have a clear path to the bigs with Willson Contreras in front of him, the Cubs moved Schwarber to the outfield. The first few years weren’t amazing and he struggled tracking balls, but Schwarbs quickly improved and his catchers background helped make him one of the deadliest left field arms in baseball. And once again, the stats speak for themselves for Schwarbs defensive abilities:
Defensive definitions: https://library.fangraphs.com/defense/uzr/
All Qualifying Left Fielders (10) | 2017 – 2019
· 2nd in UZR
· 1st in ARM
· 2nd in DEF
I guess what I’m saying is, I’m going to miss Kyle Schwarber. I’m going to miss the towering homeruns, the cannon arm, the goofy smile, the awkward dance, and just about everything else he did (minus the strikeouts). But again, it’s not just about losing Kyle Schwarber, it’s about losing some of that hope and positivity. It’s about the 2016 team slowly starting to fade away as we lose more and more players who brought us that unbelievable night in November. It’s about change being upon us.
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