Chicago Cubs: A look at the projected 2016 starting lineup

October 13, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs left fielder

(12) reacts after he hits a solo home run in the seventh inning against St. Louis Cardinals in game four of the NLDS at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

Left Field: Kyle Schwarber

When the Chicago Cubs went out and drafted Kyle Schwarber, I wasn’t expecting to see him make his big league debut until at least 2016-2017. Boy, was I way off on that prediction.

The 22-year-old catcher/left fielder was called up during Father’s Day week when it was time for the North Siders to take on the Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins. He was called into the game against the Indians before making his official debut as their designated hitter.

Not only did he hit the ground running, but he finished the night 3-for-5 with a triple in his second big league at-bat and followed that up with a home run in front of family and friends the very next day.

Despite missing the first few months of the 2015 campaign, Schwarber ended up with 16 big flies and 43 RBI. His biggest performance of the regular season came when he hit a game-tying and go-ahead homer against the Cincinnati Reds, helping his club walk away with a late night road victory.

It was one of three games in which he recorded two homers. He’s done it to the Milwaukee Brewers, then the Philadelphia Phillies in one of the biggest parks in the game.

Schwarber missed a little bit of playing time after he made a diving attempt in left field which resulted in him injuring his ribs. The rib injury put him on the shelf for at least five games.

His biggest at-bat of his career came during the National League Division Series when most thought he sent a pitch into orbit. In fact, the ball landed on top of the video board in right field where it was encased and tended too by someone who was escorted by a security guard for its protection.

There’s no telling how long Schwarber will stay in left field, but there’s no way he ends up on the bench with that much power in his bat.

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