"Time makes fools of us all" - The Kyle Schwarber Thread

[Banedon]

http://www.espn.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/46500/welcome-to-kyle-schwarbers-comeback-season

 

Besides the time Schwarber put in at the gym during the offseason, he spent money on improving his 2018 forecast. At a cost of about $3,500, he bought a new pitching machine. For those cynics who said losing weight alone wouldn’t make him hit better, Schwarber answered by taking swings -- a lot of them. In an effort to play every day -- not just against right-handers -- he positioned the machine on the left side of the pitcher’s mound and set it to throw all sorts of pitches, from fastballs to curves. Over and over again, Schwarber mimicked hitting off a lefty. The results showed up this spring.

[David]

http://www.espn.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/46500/welcome-to-kyle-schwarbers-comeback-season

 

Besides the time Schwarber put in at the gym during the offseason, he spent money on improving his 2018 forecast. At a cost of about $3,500, he bought a new pitching machine. For those cynics who said losing weight alone wouldn’t make him hit better, Schwarber answered by taking swings -- a lot of them. In an effort to play every day -- not just against right-handers -- he positioned the machine on the left side of the pitcher’s mound and set it to throw all sorts of pitches, from fastballs to curves. Over and over again, Schwarber mimicked hitting off a lefty. The results showed up this spring.

 

i'm guessing that's that same crazy machine KB has at home and the cubs have at their facilities where you can set the thing to imitate any pitcher

[Liam Neeson]

http://www.espn.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/46500/welcome-to-kyle-schwarbers-comeback-season

 

Besides the time Schwarber put in at the gym during the offseason, he spent money on improving his 2018 forecast. At a cost of about $3,500, he bought a new pitching machine. For those cynics who said losing weight alone wouldn’t make him hit better, Schwarber answered by taking swings -- a lot of them. In an effort to play every day -- not just against right-handers -- he positioned the machine on the left side of the pitcher’s mound and set it to throw all sorts of pitches, from fastballs to curves. Over and over again, Schwarber mimicked hitting off a lefty. The results showed up this spring.

 

i'm guessing that's that same crazy machine KB has at home and the cubs have at their facilities where you can set the thing to imitate any pitcher

 

https://www.amazon.com/Attack-Baseball-Pitching-Machine-Sports/dp/B0058QQF5A

 

Not Prime eligible

[Sammy Sofa]

http://www.espn.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/46500/welcome-to-kyle-schwarbers-comeback-season

 

 

i'm guessing that's that same crazy machine KB has at home and the cubs have at their facilities where you can set the thing to imitate any pitcher

 

https://www.amazon.com/Attack-Baseball-Pitching-Machine-Sports/dp/B0058QQF5A

 

Not Prime eligible

 

The unique three-wheel design allows you to see the ball clearly all the way through the feeding motion and release, just like a live pitcher.

 

I like how this kinda makes pitching sound like this Cronenbergian nightmare, where pitchers are somehow being force-fed and then horrifically expelling the ball.

[Clem Fandango]

If the players want these machines, I don't know why teams wouldn't just give them to their players begin with.

 

"Oh, you want this advanced pitching machine to make yourself better? Sorry kid, it's the offseason, do you know who owns this team?"

[Sammy Sofa]

If the players want these machines, I don't know why teams wouldn't just give them to their players begin with.

 

http://www.trbimg.com/img-5953e729/turbine/ct-tom-ricketts-ted-cruz-chicago-inc-20170628

[JudasIscariotTheBird]

If the players want these machines, I don't know why teams wouldn't just give them to their players begin with.

 

http://www.trbimg.com/img-5953e729/turbine/ct-tom-ricketts-ted-cruz-chicago-inc-20170628

http://www.yourjstory.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/george-jerk-store.gif

[Cubswin11]

Speaking of pitching machines. On my traveling little league one of the dads bought a JUGGS machines for us. The first day he got it (he was also a neighbor and his son played on the team with me and brother) he picked us up and took us to our field to meet our coach to try it out and for some reason he had it aimed towards the OF for fly balls and he cranks the thing up all the way (not really knowing what the hell he was doing) and I’ve never seen a ball travel further when he put it in. The ball took off over the OF fence in to the houses/neighborhood a good 200+ feet behind it and broke a window. That was the last time we used it for flyball practice and only used it for BP. I know, cool story.

 

It was one of these things...

 

[Sammy Sofa]

http://adamsarson.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/pitching-machine.gif?w=980

[Aaron_Kennelly]

Schwarber spray heatmap on ground balls and line drives last year:

 

 

Schwarber spray heatmap on ground balls and line drives this year:

 

 

Schwarber spray heatmap on fly balls last year:

 

 

Schwarber spray heatmap on fly balls this year:

 

 

Schwarber had 4 base hits on ground balls to the left side of straightaway center field last year. He already has 5 this year.

[Cubswin11]

That's sexy. Basically hitting the ball hard and in spots on the field when it isn't going out of the park where the fielders aren't and when he tries to power one it's going to where it should be going in the air. I wonder how much longer such an exaggerated shift will be kept on him if he keeps going the other way so well and basically the only time it's going in the air/pull side it's to the power alley.

[Aaron_Kennelly]

That's sexy. Basically hitting the ball hard and in spots on the field when it isn't going out of the park where the fielders aren't and when he tries to power one it's going to where it should be going in the air. I wonder how much longer such an exaggerated shift will be kept on him if he keeps going the other way so well and basically the only time it's going in the air/pull side it's to the power alley.

 

Also a stark contrast between how unsexy last year was. Man, he was so fucked up. Be my big, sexy dongsmith and not that other guy, Kyle.

[imb]

That's sexy. Basically hitting the ball hard and in spots on the field when it isn't going out of the park where the fielders aren't and when he tries to power one it's going to where it should be going in the air. I wonder how much longer such an exaggerated shift will be kept on him if he keeps going the other way so well and basically the only time it's going in the air/pull side it's to the power alley.

 

Also a stark contrast between how unsexy last year was. Man, he was so fucked up. Be my big, sexy dongsmith and not that other guy, Kyle.

 

crazy thing about 2017 was kyle never looked right. even after he came back up and got regular playing time, every at bat looked like a challenge. And he still hit 30 bombs. If there's actually more packed away in there, it's crazy to think about what he could do

[Clem Fandango]

Current NL Ranks:

 

7th in ISO (.283; Baez 1st, who is best in the majors)

9th in BB% (17.2%; best on team)

10th in wOBA (.417; Baez and Bryant are 3rd and 5th in NL)

10th in OPS (.972; Baez 2nd, Bryant 5th)

13th in OBP (.406; Bryant 2nd)

[Banedon]

Slow afternoon at work so I'm watching Game 7 of the WS again...and it's really weird seeing fat Schwarber again.

[Thrilho]

Current NL Ranks:

 

7th in ISO (.283; Baez 1st, who is best in the majors)

9th in BB% (17.2%; best on team)

10th in wOBA (.417; Baez and Bryant are 3rd and 5th in NL)

10th in OPS (.972; Baez 2nd, Bryant 5th)

13th in OBP (.406; Bryant 2nd)

Schwarbs for leadoff. And for pushing some other chump out of town long term.

 

Great work on the heat maps, btw Duke. I’m hoping this Chili Davis effect ends up being real. There have been times in the past when the whole team was going oppo and it seemed to result in less strikeouts and better results in general. But then they have success and get pull happy again and the thing falls apart a bit. Then they remember the oppo thing and come back around. If Chili can get Javy and Schwarber to permanently incorporate this approach then he’s really done something.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Also you know he's one of those guys who is going to hit 300 pounds within two years of retirement. Let him have his brief, sexy prime.

[imb]

So for some reason in my head, I've always compared Schwarber and Conforto, probably because keith law kept [expletive] on schwarber in the minors and fawning over conforto.

 

They're a pretty good illustration why none of us know anything and nothing matters.

 

They're both the same age (Scwharbs is a whole 4 days younger,) same position, swing from the same side etc.

 

So Schwarber hits AA and AAA in 2015 and goes bananas, posting a WOBA of .461 and .444. Conforto reaches AA that year and posts a WOBA of .405.

 

So I'm feeling justified, like ok, Kyle is a better pure hitter, great!

 

Then they both get called up and play roughly the same amount of games (69 for schwarber nice) and 55 for Conforto. They post identical 1.9 WAR. Schwarber is heavily offense while Conforto is more balanced.

 

OK well, they're equals, whatever!

 

2016 is a lost regular season for Schwarber, but Conforto plays 109 games and is ass — .724 OPS, negative in the field, less than 1 WAR. Schwarber comes back and crushes the postseason and I'm feeling justified again. Sure he missed the regular season but he's such a pure hitter he can dominate the best AL team even while looking like Bartolo Colon and not having swung at live pitching for 7 months!

 

Then 2017 happens and Schwarber is lost for most of the year, hits a lot of bombs but looks lost in LF most of the year and strikes out way too much. He was better after his callup but meanwhile Conforto is on pace for a 6 WAR season before his injury. horsefeathers! I was wrong!

 

Now we're 1/8th of the way through 2018 and Schwarbs is on pace for a 5 WAR season while Conforto is just sitting at the plate afraid to swing (something like 45 percent of his plate appearances end in a walk or a strikeout.)

 

Anyway, I don't know horsefeathers except I love dongs, and my man Kyle is leading in that category no matter if he's fat or skinny or good or bad.

[squally1313]

[tweet]

[/tweet]

[CaliforniaRaisin]

So for some reason in my head, I've always compared Schwarber and Conforto, probably because keith law kept [expletive] on schwarber in the minors and fawning over conforto.

 

One reason you might compare them is that they were linked together during their draft. After Jeff Hoffman had TJS, Conforto became the most popular Cubs pick in mocks and was normally considered the best college bat in the draft. Schwarber only gained steam in media in the days right before the draft.

[Aaron_Kennelly]

Schwarber's got a 22.9% K%.

[Brian]

homeboy is getting 50 dongs this year

[Omar]

the uncensored thread title is much better.

[sneakypower]

but after jaydee got banned a revision was necessary

[OleMissCub]

Amazingly, Schwarber has 1 DRS this year. For him to develop into something less like a black hole in the OF is a huge plus moving forward.

 

His UZR is higher than Heyward's btw.