Chicago Cubs: Why move Kyle Schwarber back to leadoff spot so soon?

Is it too soon for the Chicago Cubs to move Kyle Schwarber back into the leadoff spot in the order?

After giving him a brief spell at the bottom of the Chicago Cubs’ lineup, Joe Maddon decided that it was time to move Kyle Schwarber back into the leadoff spot yesterday against the Colorado Rockies. While it was only one game, the results were far from inspiring. Schwarber went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in the Cubs’ 9-1 loss, which marked their fourth straight defeat.

On one hand, maybe it’s premature to decry the young slugger’s return to leading off as a failure. A single bad game doesn’t necessarily mean anything by itself. But when you consider that he was showing signs of breaking his season-long slump, maybe questioning the decision to suddenly thrust Schwarber back into a position where he’s struggled all year.

Should the Cubs perhaps have left well enough alone for a few more games before rekindling their experiment?

The Numbers

Now, let’s not act as though dropping him in the order has magically cured Schwarber’s struggles. He’s not exactly dominating at any spot he’s hit in the lineup this season. However, over a small sample size, his brief sojourn in the nine slot did yield some promising results.

In seven games (22 plate appearances), Schwarber batted .235 with a .409 OPB and .706 slugging percentage (1.115 OPS) with two home runs and six RBI. By comparison, he had a .190/.311/.678 slash line with six homers and 17 RBI as a leadoff man (162 PAs) before yesterday’s game.

Furthermore, all but one of Schwarber’s June plate appearances came from the ninth spot. As such, there was hope that maybe he was finding something he’d been missing at the plate. His June 3 grand slam, coming just after his lineup shift, looked like a possible turning point. After all, aren’t these the kinds of things the Cubs want from Schwarber, no matter where he hits in the order?

Why the Move?

Given his recent play, it’s curious, therefore, that Maddon thought now was a good time to slide Schwarber back into the leadoff role. Why not allow him more time to continue figuring out his approach at the plate? Let’s not forget that he only has 430 career regular season at-bats. For all his phenomenal accomplishments, he’s barely logged a full regular season at the plate. His struggles, even for a naturally talented hitter, shouldn’t necessarily shock people so early in his career.

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That isn’t to say that, in an ideal world, Schwarber doesn’t make sense at the top of the order. When he’s going right, he’s a gifted hitter with a good eye, and he’s improved his plate discipline from when he first entered the league. And his .391 OBP in his seven June games may have convinced Maddon that he was back on track and ready to place near Kris Bryant (.396 OBP) and Anthony Rizzo (.387) again. Or maybe the manager just wanted to see if he could help spark a club that had lost three straight.

Whatever Maddon’s reasons, perhaps he would’ve been better off keeping the pressure off Schwarber for now. The Chicago Cubs have capable options like Ben Zobrist and Jason Heyward that can hold down the fort as leadoff men until he’s ready if they still see him at that spot. And assuming they expect Schwarber to help them make a playoff run, it behooves them to get him going sooner rather than later.

Next: Could Ian Happ be the leadoff man the Chicago Cubs need?

If that means letting him find his bearings for a while in the nine spot, so be it. Having Kyle Schwarber hitting well at the bottom of the order beats having him not hit everywhere else.

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