Kyle Schwarber: The Comeback Kid, On The Chicago Cubs

Apr 7, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Schwarber bats in the second inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 7, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Schwarber bats in the second inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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As the Chicago Cubs get set for their epic World Series showdown against the Cleveland Indians, an unsung hero, Kyle Schwarber, is ready to contribute to his team’s postseason success one way or another.

Who would have thought that less than 24 hours before Tuesday night’s much-anticipated first pitch of the World Series, the Chicago Cubs would be getting help from Kyle Schwarber?

Schwarber’s  had only appeared in two regular season games this year, accumulating just five plate appearances.

This is precisely why the 2016 season for the Chicago Cubs has been such a joy to watch. Just when you’ve think you have seen it all, you really haven’t.  Whether it’s observing at the edge of your seat Joe Maddon outsmarting his opponents, or watching young players like Javier Baez, Anthony Rizzo, Addison Russell, and Kris Bryant make spectacular game-saving plays on the infield, there’s always something truly exciting about this team that makes even the most casual of baseball fans come to appreciate this team.

Just as no one could predict with a straight face that it would take 71 years for the Chicago Cubs to once again make it to a long-coveted World Series, certainly no one could have predicted that a young baseball player with so much god-given talent, would, in the unlikeliest of odds, be seeing his name implemented into an already potent Cubs’ lineup in a World Series game.

Once again, when you think you have seen it all, you haven’t.  Who says baseball is boring?  How can it be, when you are watching a team play its most exciting baseball, at the most opportunistic time. The very team that has not won a World Series since the Ice Age ended (okay, maybe not that long ago).  But 1908 sure feels that way in the eyes of many Cubs fans.

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Tearing both his ACL and LCL in his left knee, in just the third game of the regular season, many around the Cubs organization felt that their beloved young star’s season was over before it even had a chance to flourish.

Well, for the longest time, people everywhere thought the earth was flat, so mistakes can be made from time to time.

Defying all odds initially bestowed against him, Kyle Schwarber did only what a man with a true passion for playing baseball would do after suffering major injuries to his knee — training his body as hard as he possibly could day-in and day-out to get back into baseball-playing shape. He did that and was rewarded with a miraculous comeback in the World Series.

You cannot script this story any better.

The reality is that Kyle Schwarber will in one way or another contribute mightily for this young Cubs team as they look to win the ultimate prize.

If his name is summoned into the Cubs’ lineup in Game 1, Schwarber brings to the team another intimidating presence in the middle of the lineup who can crush a baseball deep into the bleachers.

Even if Schwarber struggles with his timing to certain pitches thrown to him, the long-ball threat that he possesses will make pitchers think twice about throwing him too many good pitches to hit.

Cleveland Indians pitchers like Corey Kluber will be more inclined to pitch around Schwarber during his at-bats as a designated hitter or as a pinch hitter due to his intimidating presence, thus encouraging the likelihood of a base-on-ball type situation, which only works to the Cubs’ advantage.

Lets say Schwarber doesn’t find his name in the Cubs’ lineup either as a DH or as a pinch-hitter late in games, he will still be cheering on his teammates in the visitor’s dugout, making his presence to the team known in full force.

Just the sight of seeing Schwarber in the Cubs’ dugout smiling and cheering as he high-fives and embraces all his teammates during both the good times and the bad times, it will bring an invaluable uplifting tone to the team’s morale throughout this pivotal World Series match up.

Next: Chicago Cubs World Series: How they match up with the Cleveland Indians

There is no way around this improbable story.  Just as the Chicago Cubs are four wins away from winning the grand prize of a World Series championship, Kyle Schwarber will be impacting his team’s ultimate goal one way or another.