Not that you were worried about Kyle Schwarber’s bat, and not that a week of struggles would tell you anything even if you were, but Schwarber didn’t explode upon AAA when he arrived last week after his brief stay in the big leagues. In his first four games at Iowa, Schwarber came to the plate 16 times and struck out in 6 of them. He walked just once, and notched just two hits (a double and a triple). His wRC+ (presented for illustration and good humor, not any kind of evidence) was just 28.
Oh no!
Except, as the intro intimated, what we know about small samples and about Schwarber’s bat told us that wouldn’t last. It didn’t.
This weekend, Schwarber did this:
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That was a monster shot to center that might still be traveling down the river. It came as part of a 3-4 game in which Schwarber also doubled.
With another hit and a walk yesterday, Schwarber’s AAA line magically rose to .273/.333/.591, and all was right with the world.
The watch primarily remains on Schwarber’s glove, of course. We’ll see how long the Cubs give him behind the plate this year at Iowa before they decide he’s had enough, and it’s time to prep him for another call up. You’ll know it’s coming when Schwarber sees some time in the outfield (assuming the Cubs don’t outright announce it’s coming), which could be at some point in August.
Until then, here’s hoping he keeps on crushing at Iowa, and gets in some good work behind the plate.