Chicago Cubs: Kyle Schwarber is closer than you think to providing significant value

Second-half resurgence

Schwarber is obviously a resilient guy. If there was even a sliver of doubt about that, those doubts were effectively killed after the 2016 World Series. And even though he struggled mightily during the first half the 2017 season, that resiliency shined through once again in the second half.

To say Schwarber had an awful first half would be an understatement. Over that period, he slashed .178/.300/.394. He even spent a chunk of this time as the team’s leadoff hitter. In fact, the bulk of his at-bats come from the leadoff spot. But having been dead weight at the plate for most of that stretch, his time at the top of the order came to a screeching halt. The Kyle Schwarber leadoff experiment had failed.

Bouncing back

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The second half served as somewhat of a clean slate, though. And Schwarber took advantage of the opportunity to prove himself worthy of being in a championship-caliber lineup.

After the All-Star break, he slashed .253/.335/.559. A marked improvement from his performance over the first four months of the season.

There are still ways in which he can improve upon his second half. Though his numbers were generally much better, his strikeout rate rose from 28.2 percent in the first half to 34.4 percent in the second half. His walk rate also dipped slightly.

Schwarber doesn’t need to be a world-beater to be valuable

Based on his abysmal 2017 numbers alone, Schwarber is poised for a real comeback next season. If 2018 is a continuation of his second half from this year, he’ll be a mainstay in the Cubs lineup. And that’s really all he has to do. The fact is, Schwarber doesn’t need to hit .300 (or even much close to that) to be an offensive asset for the Cubs.

In what could easily end up being the worst year of his career, Schwarber still managed to hit 30 home runs. While patience and pitch selection greatly impeded his overall production, the power was still there. And with a more refined approach, it’s possible his already-impressive power numbers could get even better.

Both Schwarber and skipper Joe Maddon have stated that steps will be taken for him to progress before the start of the 2018 season.

If he can hit somewhere in the ballpark of, say, .250, get on base at an above average clip (which he’s proven he’s capable of doing), and hit around 35 or more home runs, he’ll be a catalyst in a powerful Cubs offense. His figure and World Series heroics may be emblematic of Babe Ruth, but the truth is he doesn’t need to be anything close to Ruth to be a cog in a high-powered lineup.

The defense can be overlooked

His defense is probably just something the team will have to live with. He may make minor improvements in the outfield, but generally speaking, he’ll most likely remain less-than-mediocre defensively.

His strongest defenders will point to advanced metrics to claim he is a slightly above-average defender. That’s asinine. If you didn’t have obscure stats to look at after watching him play all season, you would never in a million years come to that conclusion. I’m in no way vehemently opposed to advanced stats. They can provide context that isn’t always transparent. But they are sometimes used to delude us into believing that the plainly obvious isn’t so.

If Schwarber can build off the type of player he was in 2015 and the second half of 2017, his defense can be overlooked. As long as he makes the routine plays, the Cubs can live without a plus-defender in one corner. Jason Heyward is the elite, gold standard defensively in right field. Albert Almora is likely to see more playing time in center field next season; he’s a terrific defender as well. The outfield as a whole would still be quite good, despite Schwarber.

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That’s all Schwarber has to do. He’s this close to playing a vital role in the Cubs’ pursuit of another championship. Temper your lofty expectations for him. His destiny isn’t necessarily as a DH in the American League. There could well be a long-term future for Schwarber in Chicago. But he’ll need to raise the bar.