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Chicago Cubs: Joe Maddon says Kyle Schwarber is a platoon player for now

By Dan Schmelzer

May 5, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs left fielder Kyle Schwarber (12) runs the bases after hitting a home run against the New York Yankees during the sixth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
May 5, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs left fielder Kyle Schwarber (12) runs the bases after hitting a home run against the New York Yankees during the sixth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports /
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Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon admits that Kyle Schwarber is in a platoon situation.

On Friday, Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon put together his lineup and it did not include left-handed slugger Kyle Schwarber. Facing Los Angeles Dodgers left-handed pitcher Alex Wood, Maddon opted to keep Schwarber on the bench. This was the second time this week that Schwarber was not in the lineup versus a lefty.

Is this a case of specific matchups that Maddon and company did not like or is the struggling Schwarber now in a platoon situation? According to Maddon himself, it appears to be the latter.

"“If he’s not swinging the bat well against righties, it’s a bad assumption on my part he’s going to swing it well against lefties,” Maddon said, according to Jesse Rogers of ESPN.Regarding the possibility of Schwarber being labeled a platoon player right now, Maddon said, “If people want to say that, I can’t avoid it.”"

While Maddon is unlikely to play Schwarber against left-handed pitching right now (including Clayton Kershaw on Sunday), he does not expect this to be a long-term plan of attack.

"“Different set of circumstances. Pick his spots right now. Once he goes, he’ll play against anybody,” the Cubs manager told Rogers."

Maddon is one of the best managers in the game of baseball and I rarely question the moves that he makes. That being said, I am on the fence for this one.

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I get the idea of putting Schwarber in the best possible situation to succeed. He clearly is not swinging the bat well right now and forcing him to face tough lefties is not ideal. But I also believe that Schwarber’s awful .181/.299/.356 line is misleading.

His .224 BABIP (Fangraphs) suggest that Schwarber has run into a bit of bad luck. Also, Schwarber’s .175 ISO is not elite but it is perfectly solid. This suggests that he still has plenty of the raw power that he is known for.

Honestly, I think that Schwarber is going to break out of this funk soon. He continues to hit the ball hard but is constantly hitting it right at defenders. That is going to change at some point. Schwarber is an extremely talented player but it is important to remember that he only had 278 regular season MLB plate appearances heading into this season.

Schwarber is still a young and developing talent. These kinds of swings should be completely expected. While I think he would break out it even if Maddon starts him against lefties, putting him in the best possible situation to succeed is a strong move.

Next: Cubs going to make a big move for starter Chris Archer?

For now, I do not hate sitting Schwarber against tough lefties like Wood and Kershaw. I also wouldn’t hate to see Maddon move him down in the lineup a bit until the results start showing up. Having Schwarber struggle in the six hole would do a lot less damage than him not hitting as the second batter ahead of Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo.

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