Cubs' 2026 success looks even better when remembering the Frank Schwindel era

Frank Schwindel randomly comes to my mind from time-to-time. That shouldn't be a major surprise, considering Schwindel is one of the most successful one-season wonders to ever play for the Chicago Cubs. Something that returned my mind when FanSided's Zachary Rotman ran through the list of the greatest one-season wonders for each team.

Scrolling through Rotman's list, I was preparing myself for seeing Schwindel. Instead, to my surprise, Mike Fontenot's 2008 season was mentioned for the Cubs. Certainly not a bad choice, and compared to Schwindel, there's more length to what Fontenot did in 2008. Not to mention, the Cubs were a playoff team in 2008. Inherently, what Fontenot did for the 2008 team was far more important than what Schwindel did for the Cubs team in 2021 that certainly wasn't going to be playing games into October.

Honestly, I was relieved. My closet confession as a Cubs fan is that I hated Schwindel's run with the Cubs. Believe me, I am aware that's more indicative of a me problem, then it is anything related to what Schwindel meant to Cubs fans after the gut-wrenching trade deadline in 2021. If nothing else, Schwindel's improbable success gave Cubs fans a reason to tune in.

There's no denying that it was special. In 56 games with the Cubs, Schwindel slashed .342/.389/.613 with a wRC+ of 165 and 13 home runs. After dealing with the heartbreaking farewells of Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, and Javier Baez, Schwindel's run made Cubs fans forget about the reality of the team's situation.

Frank Schwindel should make Cubs fans appreciate current roster even more

Perhaps that's why I couldn't stand it. I just couldn't get past the "why does even matter?" element to it. Even with the success, chances were that a 29-year-old career minor-leaguer wasn't just going to become a household name out of nowhere. Beyond that, chances were that Schwindel was not going to be on the next Cubs team that made the playoffs.

Both of those suspicions proved correct. Scwhindel was released before the end of the 2022 season, and when the Cubs made the playoffs last season, he had become a fleeting memory of Cubs from yesteryear.

Again, to be clear, I am aware that there should be space to enjoy Schwindel while also realizing at the time that there were serious problems with the Cubs. For whatever reason, I couldn't make that distinction.

But between Rotman's mention of Fontenot and me working through my weird annoyance with Schwindel, I've arrived are underrated element to the Cubs' success this season what wasn't even present last season, considering Kyle Tucker's time with the team was viewed as one-and-done.

It should be sustainable. The starting infield is in place through, at least, the 2029 season and Pete Crow-Armstrong is under contract through 2032. There shouldn't be a reliance on a one-season wonder to define a Cubs season.

That is where the comfort lies with the 2026 Cubs and the Cubs over the next few years. There's an established expectation, and that is one of the best things to have in baseball.

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