Cubs Select Catcher/Outfielder Kyle Schwarber In First Round Of The 2014 MLB Draft

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CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs tonight selected catcher/outfielder Kyle Schwarber out of Indiana University with the fourth overall pick in the 2014 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

Schwarber was recommended by area scout Stan Zielinski.

“Kyle has been one of the premier performers in the college ranks the last few years. He displays what we look for in patience and power at the plate,” said Jason McLeod, Cubs Vice President of Scouting and Player Development. “He is a high character guy we think teammates will rally around.”

The six-foot, 240-pound college junior from Middleton, Ohio, hit .358 (83-for-232) with 14 home runs (tied for seventh-most in the nation) and 48 RBI for the Hoosiers in 2014, adding career-highs with 66 runs, 16 doubles, six triples, 44 walks (compared to 30 strikeouts) and 10 stolen bases while starting all 59 of Indiana’s games. Schwarber, a left-handed hitter, recorded a .464 on-base percentage alongside a .659 slugging percentage, good for a 1.123 OPS.

Schwarber registered a .992 fielding percentage (3 E/383 TC) this season, and threw out 16 of 43 (37 percent) of attempted base stealers, en route to being named one of three finalists for the 2014 Johnny Bench Award, given to the top Division I catcher in the nation.

In 2013, he was named the top catcher in the country and First Team All-American by Perfect Game and the NCBWA after hitting .366 (86-for-235) with 18 home runs (first in the Big Ten and third nationally) and 54 RBI in 61 games. He recorded a .456 on-base percentage, walking 42 times, and slugged .647, best in the Big Ten. He committed just three errors en route to a .989 fielding percentage. He was named Academic All-Big Ten and joined USA’s Collegiate National Team after the season.

As a freshman in 2012, Schwarber started all 60 of Indiana’s games, including 54 at catcher. He posted a .300 batting average (69-for-230) alongside a .390 on-base percentage and a .513 slugging percentage while hitting eight homers and driving in 47 runs. Behind the dish, he nabbed 27 would-be base stealers, good for second-most in the conference.

Schwarber is a 2011 graduate of Middletown High School in his hometown Middletown, Ohio.

The 2014 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft continues this evening with the second round, in which the Cubs have pick No. 45. The draft continues tomorrow with rounds three-through-10 and concludes Saturday with rounds 11-through-40.

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