Chicago Cubs: Frank Schwindel brings home NL Rookie of the Month

It’s not just Chicago Cubs fans who’ve taken notice of what Frank Schwindel has done of late. The 29-year-old first baseman earned August National League Player of the Month honors – and rightfully so, after he turned in a scorching hot month, slashing a very impressive .344/.394/.635 with six homers and 18 driven in.

Digging deeper into his impressive month of August, Schwindel posted an absurd wRC+ of 172, an ISO of .292 and a wOBA of .430. For the season against left-handed pitching alone, his wRC+ has spiked to a video game-like 218, although the sample size is only 43 at-bats.

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Though teammate Patrick Wisdom has been a joy to watch as well this season, Schwindel has been the brightest spot in the lineup since the trade deadline and you have to admire what this guy is doing at the plate night in and night out.

I’d really like to take a bigger glance at his numbers in Wrigley Field alone. Slashing  .327/.386/.596, it’s safe to say Frank the Tank has been the hottest hitter on the team. Even though the following stat is an extremely limited sample size of only 17 at-bats, I’d like to point out that .412/.524/1.059 against southpaws in Wrigley is absolutely eye-popping. How about a wRC+ of 298? Insert laughing emoji here.

In all likelihood, it’s unlikely his numbers remain that outstanding at Wrigley, but the fact that they are what they are in a calendar month does speak volume in and of itself. As a rookie who turns 30 next summer, you wonder what Schwindel can bring to the table long-term but one thing is for sure: he should have had his chance a long time ago.

Chicago Cubs: Can Frank Schwindel keep it up over the season’s final month?

This is a former 18th rounder from the 2013 MLB Draft who is absolutely raking at the big league level. If he can continue anything near this recent stretch, the Cubs don’t have to worry about replacing longtime first baseman and fan favorite Anthony Rizzo. They have their guy.

Currently up to 121 at-bats on the season, Schwindel’s sample size continues to grow larger and larger. Hopefully, he can continue riding his hot streak and leave fans with something positive to take away at the end of year after the season was sunk by the front office, ripping apart its core in late July. Go get ’em, Tank.