I mean, how can you not laugh and love this all at once. For the second time this season, the Chicago Cubs have a player named NL Rookie of the Month.
First, it was Patrick Wisdom winning in June. And today, Frank Schwindel was handed the honor for his work in August. You can’t make this stuff up.
https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1433548569026433025?s=20
Congratulations to Frank Schwindel, the NL Rookie of the Month for August!@NationalPro pic.twitter.com/MxCKtXebCU
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) September 2, 2021
Two distinct top rookies in three months?! The rebuild is over!
Schwindel, like Wisdom, won the award as a 29-year-old rookie, which is obviously very important context. But he was very deserving, nonetheless. In 104 August plate appearances, The Tank slashed .344/.394/.635 with 8 doubles, 1 triple, and 6 homers.
And he did it all with a big cheesy smile on his face:
Frank Schwindel is delightful. pic.twitter.com/ZnWGL1znk5
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) September 2, 2021
Frank Schwindel, forever and ever. pic.twitter.com/y9tp5pfllX
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) August 22, 2021
Kinda need this to get to Frank Schwindel as the leading run, so that when he homers, I can go …
KA POW – YOU JUST GOT SCHWINDELED! pic.twitter.com/tgrVEZ4ypw
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) August 15, 2021
Frank “The Tank” Schwindel. Go #Cubs pic.twitter.com/UaUy6h5M54
— Michael Cerami (@Michael_Cerami) August 21, 2021
Schwindel & Happ go yard, #Cubs shut down Twins in series opener. pic.twitter.com/TAwlwWc7wj
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) September 1, 2021
But in all seriousness, he has done an excellent job since taking over the full-time first base role from Anthony Rizzo. As a matter of fact, Schwindel (172 wRC+) absolutely crushed Anthony Rizzo’s (70 wRC+) numbers for August by over 100 points of wRC+. It doesn’t really mean much about their future, of course, I just thought it was interesting/funny/sad.
If you’re looking for more, Brett just took a deeper dive on Schwindel yesterday, examining some of the results under the hood to determine what’s sustainable and what might’ve been a little bit of good luck mixed with the league not quite adjusting to him all the way just yet.
Frank Schwindel Keeps on Raking, and Has Passed That 100 PA Mark – So What Are We Thinking? – https://t.co/OaKh5zqnEP pic.twitter.com/qafbQ0qxhS
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) September 1, 2021
But whether he can keep this up or not, I can say quite easily that Schwindel, like Patrick Wisdom before him, has been one of the brightest spots on the Cubs since the trade deadline. And for that, we thank him. Way to go, Tank. Now keep crushing.