Kyle Schwarber

NL Notes: Mets, Cubs, Schwarber, Almora, Cardinals

By Jeff Todd | October 16, 2015 at 10:38pm CDT

The National League Championship Series is notable for its opposing forces: the young pitching of the Mets against the young bats of the Cubs. Indeed, that same dynamic has often been cited by observers as possible reason for those two clubs to match up on a trade. But Mets GM Sandy Alderson said today that the teams have never gained much traction in talks, as Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com reports on Twitter.

Here’s more from the National League:

One of the most interesting players in the NLCS is Cubs rookie Kyle Schwarber, who was always known for his advanced bat but who has nevertheless exceeded expectations. As MLB.com’s Jim Callis explains, the team picked him much higher than expected because it believed in his bat, even if his positional outlook was foggy. He’s hit well enough that it doesn’t much matter where he ends up in the field, of course.
Another key Cubs prospect that has yet to reach the big leagues is center fielder Albert Almora. As Gordon Wittenmyer writes for Baseball America, the youngster turned around a disappointing season after receiving some strong words from a rehabbing Miguel Montero. It will be interesting to see how Almora’s development — Wittenmyer says he ought to crack Triple-A next year at age 22 — will impact Chicago’s offseason plans as current center fielder Dexter Fowler hits free agency.
The Cardinals will spend some time assessing their strategic approach after following a well-earned NL Central crown with an early post-season exit, as Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. GM John Mozeliak says he’ll be looking at the team’s deployment of reserves, acquisition of amateur players, and trade deadline approach. Some of those initiatives could be geared towards helping the club thrive in the post-season as much as it has in the regular season, though Mozeliak rejected the notion that it was really possible to do that. “When you do get there, there are elements of luck and timing in the postseason. We’ve been an example of that,” Mozeliak said. He further explained: “I don’t think there is a strategic plan that can make you change how you approach October. The fact is you have to get there first, and that’s how we think about building a club. Trying to reverse engineer an October strategy might be a little tougher. But food for thought.” In theory, at least, fatigue and injuries could be alleviated by a deeper roster, Goold writes, and Mozeliak gave indications that he’d be weighing such matters in preparation for the winter.

Miguel Montero Out Up To 6 Weeks; Schwarber Recalled

By Jeff Todd | July 16, 2015 at 2:41pm CDT

Cubs catcher Miguel Montero will hit the DL with a thumb injury that he suffered on Saturday, MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo reports. Highly-regarded youngster Kyle Schwarber will return to the big leagues to take his place.

The injury could keep Montero out for up to six weeks, according to the report. Presumably, more will be known after a visit to a hand specialist tomorrow, as Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald notes on Twitter.

It is not expected that Schwarber will see regular duty behind the dish, according to MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat (via Twitter). Muskat adds that David Ross and Taylor Teagarden will also remain on the active roster (at least once Ross returns from injury).

Presumably, though, Schwarber will have plenty of opportunity to find at bats, especially after slashing .364/.391/.591 in a brief-but-exciting 23-plate appearance debut earlier in the year. He might conceivably see time in the outfield and as a bench bat in addition to spending some innings behind the dish. All said, it is somewhat difficult to imagine that Schwarber will only function as one of the team’s last bench pieces, as it’s widely believed that he needs significant seasoning defensively.

As Mayo explains, the length of Montero’s potential absence could mean that the much-hyped young slugger ends up staying with the big league club for the rest of the season, given that rosters will expand in September. Remaining on the roster the rest of the way would allow Schwarber to rack up as much as 86 days of service on the year (including the six days he’s already been in the big leagues). That could well complicate any effort to hold him back at the start of next year (or otherwise play with his service accumulation) to stave off Super Two status or extend team control.

NL Central Notes: Cards Investigation, Dominguez, Wang, Schwarber

By Jeff Todd | June 16, 2015 at 9:16pm CDT

Commissioner Rob Manfred told reporters that it’s too soon to know how the league will handle today’s stunning news that the FBI is investigating the Cardinals for possible involvement in last year’s Astros computer system breach. As Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle was among those to report, Manfred declined to wade into the details of the matter and stressed that the federal government, not the league, was conducting the investigation. “To assume that the investigation is going to produce a particular result with respect to the Cardinals, let alone to jump to a word like cyber attack, we don’t know that those are the facts yet,” he said. “There is an ongoing investigation. We’ve been fully cooperative. Obviously any allegation like this, no matter how serious it turns out to be, is of great concern to us but it’s just too early to speculate on what the facts are going to turn out to be and what action, if any, is necessary.”

Here’s more from the NL Central:

Adding Matt Dominguez through a waiver claim gave the Brewers options at third base both now and in the future, writes Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. The 24-year-old has an impressive pedigree, of course, and certainly has some upside for a team that’s all but out of it in 2015. But there is a more immediate concern, too: Aramis Ramirez could be dealt this summer, notes Haudricourt, and he’ll need a replacement if moved. Of course, the club also is in need of a future replacement with the veteran set to retire, and a look at the controllable Dominguez certainly makes sense.
Of course, adding Dominguez meant that the Brewers had to expose lefty Wei-Chung Wang to waivers, which Haudricourt explains was a tough move to make. Milwaukee carried Wang on the active roster for all of 2014 just to take a shot on his future, but he was struggling badly this year at the Class A level. As Haudricourt explains, Wang is earning a relatively robust $300K salary (a larger salary cut from his 2014 MLB earnings was not permissible), which may be a deterrent — as is the fact that a claiming team would need to dedicate a 40-man spot (though Wang does have options).
Cubs prospect Kyle Schwarber is expected to have a very short first taste of the big leagues, in large part because he is likely not ready to spend regular time in the field. But that’s probably also a good thing in the long term, given that Chicago continues to give Schwarber time behind the plate rather than giving up and choosing instead to acclimate him to the corner outfield. In fact, as MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat tweets, president of baseball operations Theo Epstein says the club is increasingly bullish on Schwarber’s chances at sticking as a backstop. “We’re more convinced now than ever that he’s going to catch and catch a long time in the big leagues,” said Epstein.

Cubs To Promote Kyle Schwarber

By Jeff Todd | June 15, 2015 at 8:57pm CDT

The Cubs will promote catcher/outfielder Kyle Schwarber for his first big league action, Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com reports on Twitter. Schwarber is expected to spend six games as the club’s DH for interleague play, and will thereafter receive his first taste of the Triple-A level.

Schwarber, 22, was taken with the fourth overall pick in last year’s draft. Coming into the year, prospect evaluators agreed that he was a top-100 pick, though varied widely in placement. Baseball America placed Schwarber inside the top twenty prospects (19th), while Baseball Prospectus rated him 77th in the game.

Certainly, the Indiana University product has done nothing but enhance his value as a professional. He has destroyed pitching throughout the minors, putting up a composite .333/.432/.610 line over 549 plate appearances. At Double-A this year, Schwarber has slashed .318/.439/.578 while banging 13 long balls in 238 turns at bat.

Of course, the question with Schwarber was never his bat, but whether he would stick behind the plate. He’d likely only need to be an adequate defender to provide value as a catcher, though a move to the outfield or first base could also be possible in the long term. For now, of course, Chicago is giving him every chance to work as a backstop.

It appears that this is nothing more than a brief showcase for Schwarber, who really does not have an obvious roster spot to play in the big leagues. The club is set at catcher, with Miguel Montero and David Ross on hand. And while adding a power bat to the corner outfield would certainly hold appeal, Schwarber has spent just 36 games in left over his young professional career.

A huge showing at the plate or a well-timed injury could always change plans, of course. From a service time perspective, Schwarber can rack up no more than 111 days at this point, meaning he would not line up for Super Two status even if he stuck this year and never returned to the minors. Of course, every day added in 2015 will count for future years, making it harder for the Cubs to hold him back when he seems fully ready to play an everyday role in the majors.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cubs Notes: Motte, Baez, Schwarber, Aiken

By Mark Polishuk | June 7, 2015 at 7:29pm CDT

Jason Motte recorded a league-best 42 saves as the Cardinals’ closer in 2012, but thanks to Tommy John surgery and other injuries, he hadn’t saved a game since. That changed today, when Motte handled the ninth inning in the Cubs’ 6-3 win over the Nationals. Hector Rondon had already been brought in to pitch the eighth inning (and a tougher part of Washington’s lineup) and Pedro Strop was unavailable, leaving Motte to finish things off. Motte entered Sunday with a 3.98 ERA, 5.8 K/9 and 1.63 K/BB rate over 20 1/3 relief innings this season. Here’s some more from Wrigleyville…

The Cubs announced that prospect Javier Baez suffered a non-displaced fracture in his ring finger and will miss 4-8 weeks of action. Baez was injured while attempting a steal during Triple-A Iowa’s game today. The one-time elite prospect was enjoying a very nice year in the minors (eight homers and a .314/.387/.540 slash line in 155 PA), though this injury, combined with defensive and strikeout concerns, will certainly hamper his chances of a return to the majors.
The Cubs will require a designated hitter as they have seven games in AL ballparks over the next two weeks, and CSN Chicago’s Patrick Mooney suggests that calling up top prospect Kyle Schwarber would be a creative way to address this need. Schwarber is having a big year at Double-A, and promoting now would give him a taste of the majors without causing any real service time concerns (as presumably Schwarber would be sent back down once the Cubs are through their road interleague schedule). ESPN Chicago’s Jesse Rogers doubts Schwarber will be called up since the team already has Chris Denorfia on hand, Schwarber has yet to face even Triple-A pitching and there’s obviously no guarantee that the rookie will be able to provide immediate help. “Are the Cubs willing to use 10 days for curiosity or the best chance to win?” Rogers rhetorically asks.
Some clubs have ruled Brady Aiken out of their draft plans given the prospect’s recent Tommy John surgery, but Cubs amateur scouting director Matt Dorey tells Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times that “it would be really irresponsible not to look at” Aiken’s latest medicals. If Aiken is healthy, the Cubs would potentially land a first-overall caliber talent with the #9 overall pick. On the flip side, Wittenmyer observes that Theo Epstein has drafted position players with his top pick in 10 of the 12 years he has spent running front offices.

NL Central Notes: Cueto, Gonzales, Schwarber, Baez

By Steve Adams | May 26, 2015 at 7:04pm CDT

After missing his start on Sunday, Reds ace Johnny Cueto underwent an MRI on the injured joint today (as FOX’s Jon Morosi tweeted he would earlier this morning), but agent Bryce Dixon said after the fact that the test revealed no tears or structural damage (Twitter link via C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer). The news is a sigh of relief for all parties involved, as a serious arm injury for Cueto would hurt his standing as one of the top free agents on the upcoming open market, whereas an injury would hurt the Reds’ chance of righting the ship and potentially eliminate their best trade chip should they sell off veteran pieces this summer.

Here’s more from the NL Central…

Another NL Central hurler got somewhat worse news than Cueto, as Cardinals left-hander Marco Gonzales has been diagnosed with a shoulder impingement that will sideline him for three weeks, writes Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Gonzales will receive an anti-inflammatory injection in the coming days and has otherwise been prescribed rest to allow the injury to heal. Gonzales will need to alter his workouts and preparation tactics, Goold notes, as they may have had a part in the injury. Gonzales and the training staff will look for areas of weakness in the shoulder that can be improved — a similar endeavor to the one undertaken by Michael Wacha last summer (though the two have different shoulder injuries).
Kyle Schwarber’s name doesn’t get bandied about as much as other promising young Cubs bats such as Kris Bryant, Addison Russell and Javier Baez, but VP of scouting and player development Jason McLeod feels that Schwarber has a chance to impact the team in 2015, if necessary (via MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat). Selected fourth overall in last year’s draft, Schwarber entered the year as a consensus Top 100 prospect (Baseball America ranked him as highly as 19th), and he’s demolished Double-A pitching this year, batting .305/.440/.595 with 10 homers in 166 plate appearances. Said McLeod of the catcher/outfielder: “If there was a need for [Schwarber] to come up here and help this team win later this year, I think he could do it.” Of course, I should note that while I listed Schwarber as a catcher (in at least a part-time capacity), the belief of many scouts is that the lefty slugger will have to move off the position for defensive purposes. The Cubs have continued to give him reps behind the plate in an attempt to maximize the value of his bat.
Also within Muskat’s piece, McLeod notes that the team feels that Baez is athletic enough to play in the outfield, though there are no plans to move him there in the works. He also likens righty Yoervis Medina, acquired in the Welington Castillo trade, to Pedro Strop before Strop gained the consistency he’s shown with the Cubs over the past two seasons.

Cubs Notes: Baez, Russell, Schwarber

By Mark Polishuk | May 25, 2015 at 9:41am CDT

Two of the NL’s top clubs begin a three-game series today at Wrigley Field when the Cubs host the Nationals. Beyond just sharing impressive records, ESPN.com’s Ken Woolums notes that the Cubs have gone about their rebuilding process in a manner similar to how the Nats have reconstructed their roster prior to their current run of two NL East titles in the last three seasons. Here’s more on the Cubs…

Javier Baez has a .944 OPS in 99 Triple-A plate appearances this season, yet ESPN Chicago’s Jesse Rogers wonders if the former top prospect can find playing time with the Cubs no matter how well he’s hitting. Baez has been splitting time between second base and shortstop in the minors, though the Cubs are obviously set at both positions with Addison Russell and Starlin Castro. Of course, questions remain about Baez both defensively (he already has 11 errors, nine at short) and offensively (he has 24 strikeouts in his 99 PA, and nine walks) and thus the Cubs could decide he’s expendable; Rogers notes that shifting Baez between two positions could be an audition for other teams just as much as it has to do with his development. That said, Rogers also observes that the Cubs are under no pressure to swing a deal now and have plenty of time to figure out how to best deploy their numerous young talents.
Rogers hears from league sources that the Cubs have repeatedly turned down offers for Russell and have no interest in trading him. If Chicago does decide to move a notable middle infielder, then, it would have to be Baez or Castro.
Kyle Schwarber is another prospect who has often been rumored to eventually change positions, though Cubs director of player development Jaron Madison tells Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register that Schwarber will remain a catcher. “With all the work he’s done in the offseason and spring training and big league camp, and going into this year and what he’s done so far this year, we’re more certain than ever that he’s going to stay behind the plate long-term. We’re committed to that right now,” Madison said.
Madison discusses several Cubs minor leaguers within that same piece, including Baez. The team doesn’t have any plans to use Baez at any positions besides second and shortstop for now, Madison said. There has been some speculation that the Cubs could make room for Baez by moving him to third and shifting Kris Bryant to left field, though Baez has never played the hot corner in his pro career and Bryant has only three innings under his belt in left.

Quick Hits: Workman, Ogando, Rockies, Loria

By | January 31, 2015 at 10:31pm CDT

Twins outfielder Byron Buxton is the top prospect in baseball, per MLB.com’s top 100 prospects. The Cubs have two prospects in the top five – Kris Bryant (second) and Addison Russell (fifth). The Dodgers have three in the top 13 – Corey Seager (seventh), Julio Urias (eighth), and Joc Pederson (13th). The Cubs and Twins are the two teams with five prospects in the top 50. Here’s more news from around the league.

The Red Sox will use Brandon Workman as a reliever this season, reports Jason Mastrodonato of MassLive.com. The move could be a big stabilizing influence for Workman, who dealt with fatigue the last couple seasons. Mastrodonato points to Wade Davis as a best case scenario. Davis was an indifferent starter in previous campaigns, but he dominated out of the pen last year. Some pitchers, like Davis, experience a notable velocity increase in relief work. It will be interesting to see how Workman reacts.
Boston appears to have a full bullpen without the presence of Workman, writes Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. Recent additions Alexi Ogando and Robbie Ross join Koji Uehara, Junichi Tazawa, Edward Mujica, Craig Breslow, and Anthony Varvaro. Many clubs were concerned about Ogando’s injury history, but the Red Sox liked what they saw while scouting the righty. He passed his physical and should be prepared for a normal preseason workload.
The Rockies decided to stand pat rather than rebuild due to the quality of talent on the roster, CEO Dick Monfort tells Thomas Harding of MLB.com. Healthy seasons from Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez plus continued breakouts from Nolan Arenado, Corey Dickerson, and Charlie Blackmon could produce a special offense. While pitching is always a problem, Monfort is pleased with the products of the farm.
Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria is more optimistic about the current club than the pricey 2012 version, he tells Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Loria is pleased with the overhauled infield, Giancarlo Stanton’s long term extension, and the acquisition of Mat Latos. He doesn’t know what will happen with Dan Haren,

Cubs Notes: Bryant, Schwarber, Trades, Samardzija

By Steve Adams | June 20, 2014 at 8:21pm CDT

The Cubs promoted top prospect Kris Bryant from Double-A to Triple-A yesterday, but as MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat writes, president Theo Epstein doesn’t feel the 2013 No. 2 overall pick’s development is complete yet. Muskat spoke with manager Rick Renteria and current Cubs players Jake Arrieta and Anthony Rizzo about Bryant’s future as well. The 22-year-old Bryant, who slashed an unthinkable .355/.458/.702 with 22 homers in 69 Double-A games, didn’t seem to have a hard time adjusting to his new Triple-A surroundings; he went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in last night’s Iowa debut.

Cubs Sign First-Rounder Kyle Schwarber

By Jeff Todd | June 11, 2014 at 1:38pm CDT

1:38pm: The team has officially announced Schwarer’s signing.

11:20am: The Cubs have agreed to a below-slot bonus with first-round selection Kyle Schwarber, reports MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat (via Twitter). He will sign for $3.125MM, which is nearly $1.5MM shy of the $4.621MM allotment that came with the fourth overall choice.

Arguably the best college bat available, Schwarber was nevertheless something of a surprise choice at fourth overall. While he is said to have good hit and power tools at the plate, the real question is whether or not the Indiana University product can stay behind it defensively. As MLB.com’s Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo wrote in rating Schwarber as the 16th-best available prospect, he could ultimately move to the outfield (or, presumably, first base) since his throwing and receiving skills are considered below average.

Baseball America, ranking him 17th overall, noted that Schwarber had improved his work at catcher over time and likely has the athleticism needed to shift to left field if he can’t continue that trajectory. ESPN.com’s Keith Law, meanwhile, placed the 6’0, 240lb left-handed swinger at 26th on his final board.

As Callis notes (Twitter links), the deal with Schwarber works to the advantage of both parties. Schwarber will take down a bigger bonus than he would have if taken in the middle of the draft, while the Cubs can put the slot savings towards other choices. In particular, the club selected a series of high school arms with its fourth through sixth-round choices — Carson Sands, Justin Steele, and Dylan Cease — who could require above-slot bonuses to forego college. Callis opines that the Cubs are likely to land each member of that trio. Chicago entered the draft with $8.35MM and change in available slot space.

« Previous Page

Load More Posts

Show all

Headlines

Kyle Schwarber

Navigation

MLBTR INFO

Connect