Chicago Cubs: Is Kyle Schwarber at Catcher Worth the Risk?
The Chicago Cubs are going to work Kyle Schwarber out as a catcher this Spring, but is it worth the risk?
The Chicago Cubs have cleared slugger Kyle Schwarber to join catching drills in Spring Training. Schwarber miraculously came back to the Cubs’ lineup in the World Series last year despite suffering a major knee injury early in the season. Schwarber’s return was impressive, but he was not healthy enough to play the field.
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Schwarber has always been average at best behind the plate. Since he reached the big leagues, he always seemed destined to be a full-time left fielder. Honestly, I figured that his catching days would be put behind him after the major knee injury last season. However, the Chicago Cubs and Schwarber obviously have other plans.
“His primary focus will be left field,” Theo Epstein told Carrie Muskat of Cubs.com. “The goal is to have him ready potentially at the end of Spring Training to fill that role of third catcher.”
“His future is too valuable and we want him to have the longest possible career,” Epstein continued. “He makes such a great impact on us with his bat and with the person that he is that we don’t want to do anything to jeopardize the length and impact of his career. We’ll walk before we run — or walk before we squat, I guess would be the appropriate thing to say, and really ease into it.”
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I think the Cubs are taking a perfect approach here. The most important thing is Schwarber’s long-term ability. He is a special left-handed hitter with massive upside. His bat is undoubtedly good enough to play left field. However, if he can get some starts behind the plate, Schwarber only becomes more valuable.
The only question here is whether catching will impact Schwarber’s ability to stay healthy. He suffered a massive knee injury that could really hold him back athletically.
On the flip side, Joe Maddon is an extremely aggressive manager. He loved having three catchers on the roster last season and the elite flexibility that came with it. Even if Schwarber is not a regular catcher, him simply having the ability to do so, opens up many opportunities for Maddon.
Let’s say Miguel Montero picks up a start behind the plate. If Schwarber is not able to catch, Maddon will have to hesitate to use Willson Contreras as a pinch hitter off of the bench. Replacing Contreras for Montero leaves the Cubs with only one remaining catcher. If Contreras were to get hurt, it would be desperation time.
We saw how dangerous Contreras can be as a pinch hitter in the post season. Montero can be dangerous from the left side as well. This Cubs team is going to be best off if Maddon is able to freely use either player off of the bench as a pinch hitter. If Schwarber does prove that he can catch this off season, Maddon will not have any hesitation.
I doubt that the Cubs are looking at this as any kind of regular starting role. Before the knee injury last season, Schwarber was on track to catch each of Jason Hammel‘s start. The injury obviously changed that plan, but Schwarber was on pace to start one out of five games behind the plate. Do not expect anything like that this season.
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However, I would not be surprised to see Schwarber pick up a handful of starts behind the plate. Just not anything significant. His value to this team is with the bat, but he can add some extra value by just having the ability to catch if necessary. Maddon simply having that security of a third catcher makes the Chicago Cubs a more dangerous team.
The health of his knee is the number one priority here. If there is any chance that catching could hurt his long-term health in the reconstructed area, the Cubs need to scrap the idea. However, if the doctors are comfortable with it, there is no reason to question them. The Chicago Cubs playing Kyle Schwarber at catcher is worth the risk.