One of the most intriguing players in baseball this year is the Indiana University guy with the Ruthian countenance: Chicago Cubs folk hero Kyle Schwarber.
Where will he play?
Where will he hit?
Can he make it through a season?
How much better does he make baseball's best team?
For all the attention Schwarber has drawn in his young career, his actual track record is both short and, in a couple of areas, more than a little spotty. We're hypnotized by thoughts of what Schwarber might do, as opposed to what he has already done -- not that those dreams of big numbers to come are far-fetched.
Schwarber's 2017 season was one of the most unusual in all of baseball's annals. When he doubled off of Corey Kluber in Game 1 of the World Series, he became the first position player to have a hit in the Fall Classic after going without one in the regular season. His return before the showdown with Cleveland stole the spotlight from a team that had been playing in the bright glare of media attention for months. And it wasn't just a novelty act. Schwarber had seven hits and posted a .500 on-base percentage, helping the Cubs snap their epic championship drought.
Now we've returned to reality. Schwarber is back for what everyone hopes is a full season, and the Cubs again have more starting-quality position players than lineup spots. Schwarber's return potentially gives the Cubs the best trio of hitters in any lineup in the majors. Using the projections for weighted on-base percentage (WOBA) from Fangraphs, here is how each team's three best projected hitters stack up as a group:
Vicious.
By the time Opening Day arrives, Schwarber will be nearly a year removed from knee surgery. Beyond the usual need to keep players rested, it's unlikely that he should be in any way restricted. What that means isn't exactly clear, because as lofty as Schwarber's projections are, there are some holes in his splits: He has hit just .143 against lefties so far as a big leaguer, and he has hit a combined .162 against curves and sliders.
That presents a little bit of a problem for Chicago in that when facing, say, Rich Hill of the Dodgers, Schwarber doesn't look like the ideal choice, and the Cubs, with the depth we keep mentioning, have other options. However, we know how much confidence manager Joe Maddon has in Schwarber, who was allowed to face Indians uber-lefty Andrew Miller three times in the World Series. Also, Schwarber's upside at the dish is so immense that you can't platoon him. He is going to work out these issues only if given the opportunity to do so.
Maddon's playing-time dilemma is not breaking any hearts around baseball. One of the unique aspects and primary advantages of the Cubs' roster is its versatility. Other than Rizzo and backup catcher Miguel Montero, all the Cubs' likely position players can viably start at more than one position.
Here is a look at the Cubs' position players for the past three years, with an X marking each position in which each player has played at least four games, in the majors or minors:
Whether the Cubs keep 13 or 14 position players to start the season, they have at least three options at every spot on the diamond. It's a platoonist's dream.
Platoons have always been a key part of constructing ballclubs, and they remain so as benches around the league grow shorter because of the bloated head counts of 21st-century pitching staffs. When we think of platoons, we think of lefty-righty matchups, but that doesn't have to be the only way to do it. Given the versatility at the Cubs' disposal, there are all sorts of boutique lineups that Maddon can roll out. And who better to do it than Wrigley Field's resident mad scientist?
It isn't just a matter of Maddon plugging in his lefty lineup or his righty lineup. He can tailor his club for any day -- not just for the handedness of the opposing pitcher but also for his own starter's ground ball/fly ball tendencies, the Wrigley Field wind, the arsenal of the other pitcher, etc. And based on what we've seen from Maddon, the biggest factor of all appears to be keeping guys fresh.
In the end, the Cubs are almost like an NBA team, with the ability to shift guys into different roles in order to create different looks that leverage the weaknesses of the other team. That was a major strength of the Cubs last season. With Schwarber back, that quality of the team is enhanced.
All this positional versatility pays off because the Cubs can roll out these different looks with a relatively short bench. That allows them to carry an extra arm in the bullpen, which is a near necessity for a team whose No. 1 concern entering the 2017 campaign is the workload last year's starting rotation endured.
The Cubs generated headlines last week by having Schwarber squat down to catch a few bullpen sessions. The Cubs carried three catchers a year ago because of the specialized role of now-retired David Ross, and they were able to get away with it because of the multiposition capability of rookie catcher Willson Contreras. If Schwarber is added to the mix, Maddon has even more flexibility at the position because two of his three backstops can play elsewhere. It's a major advantage for the late innings, when most opposing managers are holding their backup catcher in reserve, if only as a possible contingency.
But the questions remain: Is Schwarber really a viable catcher? If so, when should he be used back there?
Schwarber started 15 games behind the plate for the Cubs in 2015, so that's the extent of our big league evidence. During those games, he posted minus-3 defensive runs saved, per Baseball Info Solutions, and allowed 14 steals on 17 attempts. According to Baseball Prospectus, his pitch framing at both the Triple-A and big league levels that season was above average. The samples are tiny, especially for a developing player, but that's what we have to go on.
Contreras is slotted as the Cubs' everyday catcher, and with his cannon-strength right arm, he'll certainly be the choice against running teams. Schwarber then would vie with Montero, a fellow lefty hitter, for the other starts. Montero had trouble throwing runners out last year, an issue that got better as the season progressed, and is one of the game's better pitch framers. An 11-year veteran, Montero should be the catcher of choice when a struggling starter needs some TLC.
Montero remains a vital cog, but he is 33, had back trouble last year and has spent a lot of time squatting behind the dish. He hit .216 in 2016. If anything, this all makes Schwarber's ability to catch more than a real luxury item or mere contingency. Also, if the Cubs want to use Schwarber as an occasional catcher in the future, you want him to get at least some spot starts there this season, lest his still-forming tools slip into atrophy.
There are a lot of ways to do that. You can start Schwarber in a battery with the Cubs' fifth starter, most likely to be lefty Mike Montgomery. You might deviate from that if an elite lefty is starting against the Cubs or if Chicago is facing a running team such as Milwaukee. But this would give Schwarber a regular, if limited role, and give him a chance to prepare a day or two in advance.
Really, there are no bad options when it comes to a hitter of Schwarber's caliber. To get a sense of how Maddon will likely use Schwarber in 2017, you have to look at how he used Rizzo and Bryant last season. Every Cubs position player sat out at least 11 games in 2016, except for the two stars, who each played in 155 games. Schwarber might not reach that total, but if he's healthy and looks improved against lefties, look for him to come close.
That's because you don't tailor your usage of stars around what's on your roster. You tailor your lineups around your stars.