So, the Chicago Cubs are under .500, and pretty much every aspect of the team is struggling right now outside of the bullpen, which was also pretty bad earlier in the year. Anyway, Joe Maddon doesn’t seem worried about it and that includes the latest criticism of the World Series-winning manager, who decided that Kyle Schwarber would be the team’s leadoff hitter in 2017.
The numbers have been putrid.
Through 35 games, Schwarber has a slash line of .179/.313/.343, with five home runs and 14 RBIs. He just hasn’t taken off like most expected. Yeah, no one thought Schwarber would be a .300 hitter, but the .313 OBP? Bad, but obviously low because of the batting average.
However, Maddon is looking beyond the numbers. Schwarber’s been making hard contact, but not getting the results. The OBP is low, but so far in May he’s walked at least one time in 7-of-11 games. That includes drawing a walk in six straight. Yet, the power and hits haven’t been there.
In the morning, our guy Adam Nissen broke down why despite those terrible numbers, Schwarber should still be the Cube leadoff hitter. Maddon addressed the topic once again on 670 The Score, during his weekly segment on Tuesday and took a page out of the Philadelphia 76ers book.
Trust the process.
“I think he looks great and that’s what I’m talking about results vs. process. He, to me looks very good at the plate right now. He’s one of our three best hitters arguably among him KB and Rizz. Just because he’s hitting leadoff, I mean for whatever reason that’s sticking in people’s minds and really it’s about process. He’s getting his walks, he’s seeing a lot of pitches and he’s coming up at good times. So, actually it’s going to payoff for us. I love what he’s doing right now and I think he looks very good.”
(Joe Maddon)
So yes, the hitting results haven’t been there, but Schwarber is still doing what you want from a leadoff hitter. Schwarber is ranked seventh overall in MLB in pitches seen per plate appearance at 4.40 and leads the Cubs with 24 walks this season.
But it’s May 16, and the idea of Schwarber not leading off for the Cubs doesn’t exist in Maddon’s mind.
“Everybody’s stuck in what they knew growing up, or what their daddies told them and that’s fine, but if we had Rickey Henderson I promise you he’d be leading off right now, but we don’t have him. We’re not a team speed kind of a team. We don’t steal a lot of bases, so I’m looking for a guy to get on base often and come up more often that could do some damage and that’s exactly who (Schwarber) is.”
(Joe Maddon)
Maddon went on, discussing that Schwarber’s low batting average right now is actually a good thing because the power hitter should trend upward after a slow start. Oh and a different option as the leadoff hitter for this team? Don’t count on it. Schwarber is going to be the guy.
“For me it makes all the sense in the world. Furthermore, who would you then put in his spot that you would love better coming up more often than he does? I really don’t know who that guy is. So, based on our composition and what we have, I like it, not a little bit but a lot, and the fact that he’s struggled batting average wise to this point is a good thing because he’s going to come back to what he’s capable of doing very soon.”
(Joe Maddon)
There’s also this to take into account. Yeah, Schwarber reached almost a legend status last year when he came back for the World Series and was great, but he hasn’t even played one full MLB season yet. He’s 24-years-old and played less than two years in the minors. At the MLB level, Schwarber only has 438 plate appearances.
There’s always the same cycle for every young hitter. Schwarber hit the cover off the ball his rookie season, came back for the World Series and was still good. Now, the league has adjusted to him, so he has to make adjustments himself. The good thing is, he’s seeing a lot pitches, he’s walking and he’s still young. As of late, Schwarber has been driving the ball to left field too. The results will come.
Trust the process.
You can listen to the entire Joe Maddon interview on 670 The Score here.
