Schwarber Stuff

[Felix Leiter]

A few things on Kyle Schwarber which were on The Score Saturday AM:

 

From Stan Zalinsky(sp.) Cubs area scout who scouted Schwarber at IU. One of the best power hitters he's seen in 35 years. A scoreboard changer. Needs work behind the plate with feet position and throwing stance. Smart and great attitude to adjust. Versatile enough to play LF, but thinks he'll stay behind the plate.

 

From Schwarber: Has been told by Cubs(Theo) his primary position will be catching, but play in LF a few games to keep his bat in the lineup. Willing to play anywhere. Isn't a night owl and likes to get his 8-10 hours of sleep. Finds his Cubs teammates to be friendly and fun to play with. Knows that alot of Cubs fans are following him but won't let it go to his head.

[PackLandVA]

It was college, but didn't Schwarber throw out 35-40% of would-be base stealers?

[UMFan83]

It was college, but didn't Schwarber throw out 35-40% of would-be base stealers?

 

I was listening to the interview. The scout said he had a very strong arm but needed to work on his technique.

[davell]

If the bat is truly advanced, they're not going to hold it up, to develop his catching skills. I'll be a tad surprised if he catches at all next year.

[SouthSideRyan]

Theo just said yesterday he'll be catching once a week the rest of the year

[Guest]

Theo just said yesterday he'll be catching once a week the rest of the year

 

Maybe the plan is to do that and then have him work on some things with technique catching-wise in the offseason.

 

Personally, I'd just throw him in LF and let him rake his way up.

[RynoRules]

Theo just said yesterday he'll be catching once a week the rest of the year

 

Maybe the plan is to do that and then have him work on some things with technique catching-wise in the offseason.

 

Personally, I'd just throw him in LF and let him rake his way up.

 

Why dont we want a catcher who can rake? Isn't that much more valuable?

[Tryptamine]

Theo just said yesterday he'll be catching once a week the rest of the year

 

Maybe the plan is to do that and then have him work on some things with technique catching-wise in the offseason.

 

Personally, I'd just throw him in LF and let him rake his way up.

 

Why dont we want a catcher who can rake? Isn't that much more valuable?

 

Yes, but catchers take much longer to develop compared to other positions. Holding him down in the minors for an extra year or two so that he might be able to catch is hardly worth it.

[Clem Fandango]

Theo just said yesterday he'll be catching once a week the rest of the year

 

Maybe the plan is to do that and then have him work on some things with technique catching-wise in the offseason.

 

Personally, I'd just throw him in LF and let him rake his way up.

 

Why dont we want a catcher who can rake? Isn't that much more valuable?

 

Yes, but catchers take much longer to develop compared to other positions. Holding him down in the minors for an extra year or two so that he might be able to catch is hardly worth it.

 

Especially when the consensus is he probably won't be able to stick there anyways. If Schwarber is going to be a below average defender no matter where he plays, I'd rather he be a below average LF'er than a below average catcher. But there's a chance he'll be fine at a corner spot, while he likely wouldn't be fine behind the plate

[Sammy Sofa]

Though it would be nice if Bryant and Baez show up and be what we desperately hope/need them to be; it would potentially give the Cubs the luxury of spending the extra time with Schwarber to see if he can stick at catcher.

[Clem Fandango]

Though it would be nice if Bryant and Baez show up and be what we desperately hope/need them to be; it would potentially give the Cubs the luxury of spending the extra time with Schwarber to see if he can stick at catcher.

 

I agree. If he can hack it enough to be considered merely average as a defensive backstop, but has the hitting prowess of Joey Votto (who he models his approach after) then by all means they should see if he can stick. but given what the Cubs are already doing with him I can't imagine he'd be a strong option at catcher defensively. Still, I agree it would be nice if he can stick there, I just don't think it will happen. Hope I'm proven wrong, though.

[Sammy Sofa]

Though it would be nice if Bryant and Baez show up and be what we desperately hope/need them to be; it would potentially give the Cubs the luxury of spending the extra time with Schwarber to see if he can stick at catcher.

 

I agree. If he can hack it enough to be considered merely average as a defensive backstop, but has the hitting prowess of Joey Votto (who he models his approach after) then by all means they should see if he can stick. but given what the Cubs are already doing with him I can't imagine he'd be a strong option at catcher defensively. Still, I agree it would be nice if he can stick there, I just don't think it will happen. Hope I'm proven wrong, though.

 

Yeah, it seems like it's a long shot, but I wonder how much of it is based on the conclusion he can't hack it as a catcher vs. the possibility of needing his bat ASAP.

[Guest]

Seeing as he's already played a full college season plus 4 games in the playoffs and signed earlier than draft picks normally do, they might just be protecting him from wearing down from so much catching.

 

That said, I don't think he has the ability to stay at catcher.

[RynoRules]

To me a catcher who can hit at a high level is a unique property. I guess I'd rather let him take his time (ie, two years) and get here when he's ready.

[Guest]

To me a catcher who can hit at a high level is a unique property. I guess I'd rather let him take his time (ie, two years) and get here when he's ready.

 

Maybe if he actually had a chance to be a good catcher but I don't think he does

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

even if he could catch, I'm not sure if I'd want him too given how taxing the position is.

[RynoRules]

even if he could catch, I'm not sure if I'd want him too given how taxing the position is.

 

I'm not arguing for the sake of it, but couldn't he play OF a day or two a week to take some of that wear and tear off? The reason I'm pushing this is that I think having a genuinely good hitter at C might be the ultimate find in the modern game.

 

That said, I get what you guys are saying. If his bat is that exceptional the risk of injury or fatigue is high enough where it doesn't make sense to keep him at C.

[rawaction]

A good hitting catcher is awesome and probably the biggest luxury in baseball. But a crappy hitting catcher doesn't kill you as bad as either a crappy defensive catcher or a crappy hitting left fielder.

 

If Schwarber catches in the majors, he probably will not be very good at it. He'll be serviceable probably, but has a ways to work to get there. If he's a LF in the majors, he'll probably be a good hitter. And if so, thats one less spot you have to worry about having a bad hitter playing. Not to mention the time it will take him to contribute in the majors depending on what position he plays.

[RynoRules]

At this rate he should be at Wrigley by September.

[Gmoney08]

But a crappy hitting catcher doesn't kill you as bad as either a crappy defensive catcher...........

 

 

Does a crappy defensive catcher really kill you that much?

 

As long as he's not giving up a TON of passballs and is totally incapable of throwing even slow base stealers out I feel like a catchers defense may not be as important as purists make it seem.

 

 

 

Has their been any research on this besides for Joe Buck's opinions?

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

I think Piazza was pretty crappy defensively and he wasn't a liability for his team.

 

Kendall early in his career had issues defensively as well.

 

Barrett was pretty shitty behind the dish too.

[seanimal]

wtf? catcher is the most important non-pitching defensive position on the diamond ffs, of [expletive] course catcher defense is incredibly valuable. hell, bp put out an article earlier this year supporting that framing alone could be worth as much as two wins

[DiamondMind]

Schwar Machine.

[Bobson Dugnutt]

wtf? catcher is the most important non-pitching defensive position on the diamond ffs, of [expletive] course catcher defense is incredibly valuable. hell, bp put out an article earlier this year supporting that framing alone could be worth as much as two wins

 

What this thread presupposes is...maybe it isn't.

[EhDubya]

Obviously, Id love it if his defense improves and he becomes the best all around C in the game, but most reports tell me I shouldn't expect that. Still, I'd take an all-hit C if it gave us a clear advantage over other teams.

 

Realistically, I'd be happy with a future depth chart that looks kinda like this (his percentage of at bats at each position in parentheses):

 

C Castillo/Schwarber (25%)

LF Soler/Schwarber (50%)

DH Schwarber (15%)

RF Bryant/Schwarber (5%)

1B Rizzo/Schwarber (5%)

 

You may say that I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one!