January 14, 2019

Kyle Schwarber just finished his age-25 season in which he managed 26 home runs, 64 runs, 61 RBI, four steals, and a .238 batting average. On the whole, Schwarber played only 137 games due to the Cubs lineup of cycling starters. Joe Maddon’s penchant for rotating through his roster meant that Schwarber saw only 510 plate appearances despite raising his walk rate to 15.3% (6th best in the league among qualified leaders) and maintaining a .229 ISO (28th best). The combination of power and on-base skills make Schwarber an attractive player for the new-age Cubs, who rejected all incoming offers for Schwarber last year. Schwarber has been around long enough that it seems like he should be older, but he’s just entering his prime age-26 season. The Cubs inclination to keep Schwarber and his growth last year make him an interesting player in 2019. He should meet his Steamer projections of 29 HR, 73 runs, 80 RBI, and five SB. The issue is whether he stays healthy enough and gets enough at-bats to take advantage of a healthy Cubs offense. If so, Schwarber could manage 35 home runs and 200 R+RBI and far exceed his current ADP of 191. Don’t expect a batting average above .240, but Schwarber should be moved up two tiers in OBP leagues where his BB% makes up for his low batting average.--David Emerick