Heyward, Schwarber Could be Key's to Cubs Title Defense
What a year for the Chicago Cubs it was breaking the curse which has plagued the franchise for the past 108 years, and because of this, it was a special year for Cubs fans. Cubs fans were able to rejoice, as were their players. The scene in Cleveland was almost magical and it was special and it will be a moment Cub fans will never forget. While the Cubs will see some turnover, the Cubs chances of repeating are high, and there will be a couple players who's season didn't go quite as planned who could ensure the Cubs are in a position to reign again. It would be far too easy to say one of the Cubs core players are key, but with Dexter Fowler on his way out the door. They Cubs outfield makeup is changing. Likely you will see Heyward in right once again, and Kyle Schwarber in left. It will be these two players who will be key to the Cubs defending their title.
Can Heyward Bounce Back
When the Cubs signed Jason Heyward there was no question the Cubs had nabbed one of the better young right fielders in the game. However, 2016 while fruitful for Heyward defensively, had different plans for him offensively. This was not the season which Heyward, the team, nor fans had in mind. By the time the break came, it was baseball's worst kept secret, Heyward couldn't catch up to the fastball. His feet were too far apart, and his hands were too far back. It was too deep into a pennant race for the Cubs to fix the issue. His offensive production dropped from a .293/.359/.439 line to .230/.306/.325. Heyward's power dropped, and if it was not for stellar defense things could have gotten ugly during his inaugural year in Chicago. While Heyward didn't hit any pitch particularly well, the fastball was his worst. Which is a major issue for obvious reasons; simply put you know what you call a major league hitter who can't hit the fastball? Unemployed.
Good news for Cubs fans and for Heyward is he is already working on his swing. He's lowered his hands and narrowed his swing. For the Cubs, there is a precedence. The changes Heyward is making is similar to the ones we saw Anthony Rizzo make before his breakout campaign.
When Rizzo first came into the majors he kept his hands further back and his stance was wider. Following his changes, Rizzo blossomed into one game's elite hitters. Now it's not to say Heyward will start hitting like Anthony Rizzo, but if the Cubs can get Heyward on a similar pace he was hitting in 2012 and 2015 the Cubs title defense is looking strong.
In the picture above you see Heyward's hands are high and deep before he swings. What Heyward is doing is lowering his hands and allowing his bat to get in the zone quicker. Not everyone is blessed with Javy Baez like bat speed, so this is a necessary adjustment that needs to be made. This will prevent Heyward from getting cheated and allow him to make better contact. Recently posted on Instagram is a video of Heyward hard at work in Arizona. In the link below you will see Heyward's hands around the belt level much like the change Rizzo made. Don't expect to see Heyward crowd the play like Rizzo, but the change nonetheless has been effective and has made the career of many players in the past. Expect Jason Heyward to re-emerge assuming he develops comfort in his new swing. He's currently working with Darnell McDonald on his new swing. With his new swing, it's a shorter swing path through the zone so hopefully, he will be able to catch up with more fastballs than in 2016.
No longer is Heyward winding back, and his bat is remaining level. The fact that he is making this change and that it seems to be working so far is great news for the Cubs. Keep in mind he has two more months to work out the kinks before facing live pitchers as well, so all in all this looks good for Heyward. Heyward should see a substantial improvement in his hitting, and we may finally begin to see Jason Heyward enter into his peak years because of this change. Heyward prior to 2016, has at a bare minimum been a serviceable hitter, the Cubs could really use the Jason Heyward we are accustomed to seeing. Heyward, as we know, is an elite fielder and that was on full display last season. Assuming Heyward's swing changes work out, the Cubs could see yet another All-Star caliber position player in their line up. Good news for the Cubs, bad news for the rest of the league.
Kyle Schwarber Oh How we Missed You!
The return of Schwarber was just what the doctor ordered for the Cubs in the World Series. His bat was a game changer, and given his contact ability and raw power, the Cubs line-up is going to be downright scary next season. Keep in mind they have an All-Star infield already. Wilson Contreras is a rising star behind the plate. It appears Heyward will be better next season. No one who has seen Kyle Schwarber can doubt his ability to mash. However, what most people are projecting is that Schwarber will be leading off for the Cubs, yikes, I would hate to be the pitcher who's first hitter is Kyle Schwarber. Now a lot of people initially will look at Schwarber and scratch their head when one calls him a leadoff hitter. When we look at his numbers, however, there is likely no better candidate to do so. Schwarber is an elite hitter, and while he is best known for his power that is far from the only thing he can do. Schwarber is an on-base machine, he can hit, he can walk, and while his speed is not blazing, he's a smart baserunner. All of this adds up to Schwarber leading off. This is an out of the box idea and no other manager is more out of the box ad good at it than Joe Maddon. This is the same manager who plays pitchers in left field, uses Jon Lester as a pinch hitter making him a walk-off hero, and so on and so forth. So needless to say his is not out of the question, in fact, for many commentators it's expected.
When you crunch the numbers you have to wonder who it will be. Albert Almora lacks the experience, and the OBP numbers to justify it. Javy Baez strikes out too much. No way Rizzo or Bryant will get a look. Ben Zobrist is an option, but when he has hit leadoff his OBP is .330. When you get down to it Kyle Schwarber is simply the best option. With that being said Schwarber holding down the lead-off spot could be crucial to the Cubs title defense. Dexter Fowler was the catalyst last season, and Schwarber could provide a similar if not better spark. This team seemed to rally around the long ball, meaning when the ball left the park the team seemed to up their game. Schwarber at the top could mean a lot of things for the Cubs including getting on the board early and often.
