Chicago Cubs: What will be the team’s biggest storylines in 2017?

A full season of a healthy Kyle Schwarber could prove to be the Chicago Cubs’ top storyline this year – but injuries and the starting rotation could steal the stage.

Last April, the Chicago Cubs suffered a blow that would have knocked a good many teams flat on their backs. Slugging outfielder Kyle Schwarber collided with Dexter Fowler at Chase Field and suffered a season-ending knee injury.

Now, as we all know, the Cubs pushed through the loss, with Schwarber returning in the World Series to help Chicago win its first title since 1908. With that fond memory in the rearview mirror, though, the team is focused on what he can bring to the table over the course of a full season.

His performance will undoubtedly be at the top of any list of probably storylines surrounding the reigning World Series champions. That being said, the upcoming season will be about much more than just Kyle Schwarber.

Everyone wants to know: can Kyle Hendricks repeat his 2016 performance, one that culminated in his winning the league ERA title. Will another heavy workload for Jon Lester prove to be a problem for his left elbow or will he continue to cruise into his mid-30s?

On the other side of the ball, Kris Bryant believes he hasn’t yet hit his ceiling – which is saying a lot for a guy who won the National League MVP last year. Addison Russell will look to build on his breakout 95-RBI campaign and Willson Contreras is aiming for the ranks of the league’s best catchers.

No matter how you spin it, there’s a lot going on with the Cubs heading into 2017.

Javier Baez is no longer just a trade chip

It seems like annually, the Cubs and Tampa Bay Rays are linked in trade rumors. This can be attributed to the team’s ‘opposite’ positions of strength. For Chicago, position player talent still litters the system. In Florida, the Rays have a stock of young, controllable arms – an area the Cubs are looking to improve.

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This time last year, Javier Baez was constantly mentioned as a potential trade chip for the Cubs as they eyed the future. But he silenced those rumors himself, putting up career-best numbers and drastically cutting down his strikeouts from his first taste of the big leagues.

Nicholas Blazek: The biggest story of the year will be the rise of Javier Baez. As you saw with his amazing performance in the World Baseball Classic, Baez is bound for big things in Chicago. The days of trade rumors surrounding Baez are well behind him and he’s ready to shine.

Building off recent successes

Everyone remembers his game-winning home run in Game 1 of the NLCS last season against the Dodgers and the countless outstanding defensive plays he made throughout the year. Add in how he led Team Puerto Rico to a WBC runner-up finish and it’s easy to see why the Cubs are so high on Baez.

In 2016, while playing six positions for Chicago, the former first-rounder batted .273/.314/.423 in a career-high 142 games. His free-swinging nature still needs to improve, as evidenced by his OBP last season. Still, he represents one of the most versatile young talents in all of Major League Baseball.

A full season of Schwarber: what does it mean?

The hype is unlike anything we’ve seen. Fans are clamoring to see what Kyle Schwarber in the lineup for a full season does to the Cubs’ offense.

And, really, who could blame them?

He made history already with his postseason performances. Now, with his eyes set on being a big part of the Chicago lineup every day in 2017, the sky seems to be the limit for the catcher-turned-outfielder.

Chicago Cubs

Michael Niederman: Given the unknown production possibilities, I think the biggest story of the year will be Kyle Schwarber. We haven’t seen him play a full season in the Major Leagues so we don’t know where his ceiling is. Add in the fact that he doesn’t have a set defensive position, it will be interesting to see how he handles constant change and if that will affect him at the plate. The first step is to stay healthy. After the superhuman effort he put forth in the World Series, it’s safe to say we are all anxious to see what he will do next.

Regular season success limited

In 71 career regular season games, Schwarber is a .242/.353/.479 hitter. The average leaves plenty to be desired, but his performance in the postseason has been nothing less than stellar.

Ryan Tadych: Kyle Schwarber’s return and monster homers will be the ongoing storyline throughout the season, but the Cubs winning back to back championship could end up being the biggest and the beginning of a dynasty could be forming. As with any team, there’s one wild card: injuries. Injuries could change things, but with the depth the Cubs had, they should be fine unless key players go down with major injuries.

With two years of deep postseason runs under his belt and a fully-recovered knee, Kyle Schwarber represents one of the most obvious candidates for Comeback Player of the Year in the NL.

If he’s healthy and takes the field on a regular basis in 2017, the Chicago Cubs’ offense may take a huge step forward from its title season just one year ago.

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