Chicago Cubs: Comparing Joc Pederson to Kyle Schwarber

The Chicago Cubs have agreed to terms with former Dodgers outfield Joc Pederson on a one-year, $7 million deal per Ken Rosenthal. Pederson, 28, comes in to add another power bat to the lineup and bring much-needed depth to the outfield. Outside the surprise that the Cubs actually brought in a well-known player on an big league deal, it is easy to spot easy similarities between him and Kyle Schwarber in the numbers.

Replacing one hitter on the Cubs with the seemingly same hitter

It was not long ago when the Cubs declined to tender Kyle Schwarber a contract, thus making him a free agent for the first time in his career. He was going to make at least $8 million had he been tendered by the Cubs, but he signed with the Nationals on a one-year, $10 million deal after being non-tendered.

Now the Cubs have Joc Pederson, a guy who can hit 25-35 home runs with a solid OBP but does not hit for a high average. Sounds familiar doesn’t it? In terms of offense the Cubs have replaced Schwarber with one guy who is incredibly similar at the plate. If we look at what Schwarber’s arbitration number was going to be and Pederson’s deal, it is essentially a $1 million difference. Yes, Schwarber is making $10 million with the Nationals but this is just looking at what range he probably would have gotten with the Cubs.

With all of that said, this is not necessarily a bad thing. The fact that the Cubs were able to replace Schwarber with a player similar with a few more upsides is more than many anticipated the way things were going this offseason. While Pederson is not the dream contact-first bat that could be of good use on a team with holes in their swings, there is good value in this player.

Cubs: Biggest difference between the two comes defensively

If there is one big advantage the Cubs have in having Pederson over Schwarber, it’s versatility. Over his career, Pederson has played all three positions of the outfield. Mostly center, but that will be taken by Ian Happ so expect him in left where Schwarber was with Jason Heyward in right most of the time. Unless Ross does not want too many lefties against a lefty starter and Pederson will either platoon or could take some time in right with Kris Bryant (if he is not traded) in left. Plug him in anywhere and he can do it.

Schwarber on the other had has played all but 14 career innings of his outfield career in left. He is either going to be a left fielder or DH most likely going forward, unless the Nationals work with him to be more versatile. Regardless Pederson already has that edge. There is no doubt that Pederson is the better outfielder here and his versatility adds a lot of value to his game.

Pederson had a really good defensive year in the outfield in 2019 with 12 defensive runs saved and a UZR/150 (ultimate zone rating / 150) of 13.2. Schwarber is never going to reach that level of effectiveness in the outfield. Remember that Pederson is much quicker and agile than Schwarber and that is going to help the Cubs out both in the outfield and on the bases.

Cubs: Let’s take a step back and consider all the numbers

To look at the players and aspects of the game, we can look who has the slight edge over the other.

Hitting for average: Wash

They are pretty much the same, and average is not the end-all-be-all stat anymore anyway.

Getting on base: Schwarber

Pederson will not walk as much as Schwarber and his OBP over the past three years is .325 compared to Schwarber’s .340. Always have to hand it to Schwarber who is good at drawing walks.

Power: Schwarber

Both have nice power strokes but Schwarber has hit almost as many homers as Pederson in less games; we will see how he does at Wrigley Field and other NL Central parks like Great American Ballpark and Miller Park.

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Speed: Pederson

There is no question Pederson is more agile in general. He is a much better baserunner and speed has kind of lacked for the Cubs the past few years.

Contact: Pederson

Both strikeout over the league average but Pederson will make more contact. The difference is not huge but Pederson makes more contact overall (74% on swings vs. Schwarber’s 72.2%) and does so on pitches both inside and outsize the zone.

Defense: Pederson

This one is not even close. Pederson can play wherever in the outfield, he is quicker and overall more efficient with the glove. Defense and versatility is where the two are completely different players.

Conclusion. Yes there are some huge similarities between the two, but there are some differences that stand out. Cubs fans will miss the titanic blasts of Schwarber and will always appreciate what he did for the team, but Pederson brings some very welcomed things to the Cubs.

There are still plenty of holes on the upcoming 2021 Chicago Cubs roster, but this is a solid fill if the team is not spending much. As previously mentioned it was kind of unthinkable that the Cubs would be able to nab a guy like Pederson as this came pretty unexpected. Shoutout to FanGraphs for all the numbers in this piece.