Kyle Schwarber sure looks good at the plate right now. Even if we set aside the results for a moment, the caliber of at bats he’s been having for the last week or so have looked like a guy who is seeing the ball very well. So many good takes. So many foul balls. So much hard contact deep in the count.
Schwarber is currently riding a seven-game hitting streak, during which he’s hit an absurd .423/.500/.769 (230 wRC+), with two homers, three doubles, just five strikeouts, and four walks. Joe Maddon is really feeling it:
Joe Maddon said this is as good as he's ever seen Kyle Schwarber – better than 2015 and better than the World Series return.
— Tony Andracki (@TonyAndracki23) June 10, 2019
Before this hot week, Schwarber was hitting just .212/.322/.419 (92 wRC+) on the season, and that’s now flown all the way up to .239/.344/.463 (109). Of course, he’s been hot for longer than just this past week, even if it’s been the most blistering bit.
You can go back to the series in Cincinnati, when Schwarber broke a long power drought with a homer on May 15, and then moved into the leadoff spot the next day. Since May 15, he’s hit .261/.355/.587 with a 139 wRC+ and a 28.2% strikeout rate (playable!).
Not only is Schwarber getting great results at the plate, he’s also doing one of those quiet things you love to see from a leadoff hitter: he’s eating up a boatload of pitches.
At 4.22 pitches per plate appearance, Schwarber sees the most pitches on the Cubs, and also the 9th most in the National League. I’m reminded of his torturous 11-pitch homer against Jack Flaherty this weekend … and then I remember that he did it last month in Washington on a 13-pitch at bat:
Kyle Schwarber's at-bat:
Strike
Ball
Foul
Foul
Foul
Ball
Foul
Foul
Foul
Foul
Foul
Ball
Home Run(via @Cubs)
pic.twitter.com/YWBrOlhNlO— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) May 18, 2019
We’ll see if Schwarber stays as locked in at the plate as he seems locked into the leadoff spot. Maybe Schwarber benefited from his failed first go-around in the leadoff spot when he maybe let the idea of the role get into his head a little bit. And maybe things are just clicking now.
I've long believed 100 PA is enough of a sample to hint at what a player can be capable of in a given season. And while I'm admittedly not 100% sold on Schwarber being THIS guy, I think the BB% and OBP are sustainable. Needs to get that K% down to a more manageable number.
— Luis M. Runs This Coby White Stan Account (@lcm1986) June 10, 2019