Kyle Schwarber Is Hitting Bombs In Iowa

But he won’t be there for long

Iowa Cubs/via Flickr.com

If you plan on attending a Chicago Cubs game in July, watch your head because Schwarbombs will likely devastate an MLB stadium near you in the not so distant future.

After the Cubs demoted the slugging left-handed catcher/outfielder to Triple-A on June 22, Kyle Schwarber has done nothing but rake in seven minor league games with the Iowa Cubs.

Batting in the third spot in the Iowa Cubs lineup while playing left field on some nights and serving as the designated hitter on others, Schwarber has posted an impressive .391/.500/.913 slash line with eight RBIs and four home runs in 28 plate appearances.

Back-to-back two home run games on Friday and Saturday have highlighted Schwarber’s brief stay with the Iowa Cubs.

I feel pretty comfortable in the box, and it’s just hammering down that feeling,” he said. “Now I have that taste of what it’s like to go bad, and I know what to do to fix it. Whenever a time comes like that again, you have to be able to find it like that again. -Kyle Schwarber

-Quote obtained by Chicago Tribune writer Paul Sullivan

After his World Series heroics a season ago, Schwarber had a forgettable beginning to the 2017 MLB season. He carried an unsightly .171/.295/.378 slash line through 64 games and 261 plate appearances, and had no answer for the exaggerated shifts that defenses routinely used against him. An inability to consistently barrel up the ball has been another culprit that has contributed to his struggles this season.

What’s strange is that there hasn’t been any real change in Schwarber’s approach: He’s still plenty selective at the plate, with a 13.8% walk rate that’s a mirror image of his 2015 mark. His contact rates, meanwhile, have actually gone up from 2015, and his swinging-strike rate has dropped. But there are a few numbers that suggest that Schwarber simply isn’t making consistent hard contact. His infield fly-ball rate has doubled, going from 7.6% in 2015 to 14.5 this year, and his line-drive rate has fallen from 17.3% in ’15 to 12.3 in ’17. His average exit velocity, meanwhile, is 87.3 mph, roughly at the MLB average (86.9) and nearly four miles per hour off his 2015 numbers (and 10 mph slower than 2017 leader Miguel Sano).

-Content created by Sports Illustrated writer Jon Tayler

At the advice of Chicago Cubs minor league hitting coordinator Andy Haines, Schwarber has made noticeable mechanical adjustments to his swing including lowering his hands and taking the bat off his shoulder prior to the pitch.

This inconsistent Cubs offense could certainly use Schwarber’s new and improved bat in the middle of the lineup. Since his demotion, the Cubs are 21st in MLB in batting average (.234), 22nd in runs (36), and fifth in strikeouts (92).

Integrating Schwarber back into the MLB lineup also involves figuring out where he fits in the batting order puzzle. Batting leadoff like he did for most of the season prior to his demotion isn’t ideal because opposing teams can shift as drastically as they want against him with no runners on base. He slashed .185/.304/.356 in 171 plate appearances this season batting leadoff and slashed .137/.222/.288 in 81 plate appearances when he was the first batter in an inning.

The best spot to put Schwarber is in the middle of the lineup behind Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo. Ideally, you want him batting with as many runners on base as possible because of his ability to hit the long ball.

An ACL/LCL tear didn’t stop Schwarber from helping his team end a 108-year World Series drought last season. This season, he vows that his early hitting struggles at the MLB level won’t prevent him from contributing to what the Cubs hope becomes another special season.

I’m not going to back down at all — trust me. My goal is to get back up there as soon as I can — and I’m going to work my butt off.

-Quote obtained by The Des Moines Register writer Tommy Birch

After his heroic comeback from a major injury last season, it’s difficult to bet against him.

Stats don’t take into account the Iowa Cubs game on Sunday night or the Chicago Cubs game on Sunday afternoon.

Paul Steeno spent 11 years pretending he was good at running. After hanging up the track spikes and officially becoming an elite hobby jogger, he decided to do something that he was actually good at: like writing about the Cubs. He is also a perpetually frustrated Chicago Bulls fan. This one time he got super lucky and ran 3:52 in the 1500 meter run.

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