Cubs Fans Freaking Out Again
It seems that with each and every stumble some Cubs fans, who tend to be the loudest, come out of the woodwork to complain. With a Cubs loss, they are pressing a panic button. When a pitcher gives up a home run, they want them replaced. And when Kyle Schwarber goes through a rough stretch, they want him moved out of the leadoff spot.
That’s the most recent cry from the crowd, “move Schwarber out of leadoff!”
@ESPNChiCubs maybe you will finally believe that Schwarber needs to be removed from leadoff spot for time being until he gets right?
— Mike Dal Pozzo (@MikeDalPozzo1) April 29, 2017
@Cubs Kyle Schwarber Is The Absolute Worst Leadoff Hitter In @MLB He Is Awful
— zachsmith (@zachsmith9876) April 29, 2017
Have to get Schwarber out of the leadoff spot. He is not good right now.
— Jeff (@jamfan40) April 29, 2017
@letsgocubbies54 @kennethdemko oh god no this Cubs team is awful. Schwarber as leadoff hitter is a joke and pitching worst in game. 75 wins
— jimmy mac (@jimmyillini24) April 29, 2017
That wasn’t all. If you search deep enough you’ll find the “fans” that want Joe Maddon fired for even considering Schwarber as a leadoff hitter.
Why are they mad? Well, Kyle’s .212 average and his striking out in 32% of his at bats have something to do with it. Oh, and of course the underutilization of Kyle’s power being in the leadoff spot is something else they will continue to point out.
Now, not that I agree with moving Schwarber, I would like to play this out. If Schwarber was moved, who would be the leadoff hitter? Ben Zobrist? Jason Heyward? Albert Almora?
Ben isn’t exactly tearing it up this season either, in fact, he’s doing worse that Schwarber. His .215 average and .338 OBP are on par with Schwarber. Would moving Kyle to the, say sixth spot and Ben to leadoff really be a better lineup now?
The other name I hear is Heyward, and he isn’t the answer either. While Jason has experienced a resurgence in 2017, putting the added responsibility of leading off on Jason’s shoulders could be very dangerous. Jason started the 2016 season in the two-hole, and perhaps a premature jump to the top of the lineup could put him back into a horrific spiral again. Maybe he is an eventual answer, but Jason’s swing is too delicate to move just yet. Let the league adjust to him, and Jason adjust back a couple times before trusting him to lead off games.
The other name that has been whispered has been Albert Almora. I have to say, Almora has impressed me with his offensive capabilities. I knew he would be great defensively, but what he’s been able to accomplish at the plate is what I didn’t expect. While I don’t know if Almora is the leadoff type, and his plate discipline needs a ton of work, it is an interesting proposition. What he lacks in plate discipline he makes up for in being incredibly smart. In fact, Albert might be the smartest player on the team, and with his above average contact rate, that could lead to good things atop the order.
But still, Albert still hasn’t earned a lot of playing time, having only about half the plate appearances as Schwarber has.
Going through the options, Schwarber is the only real choice to lead off. So if that is the answer, how does he “get right?”
The first thing I would do with Kyle is getting him to swing more often. It appears that he is watching himself into pitcher’s counts when his bat is more dangerous when swinging. Extending at-bats is important, and as the 2016 Cubs knew, it helped chase pitchers early in games. But there is such thing as being over-selective.
This is what Schwarber can do with a ball six inches outside. And this is what he can do with a pitch in the zone.
To fix Schwarber you heed Joe Maddon’s advice and let him hit his way out of it. Maybe those loud Cubs fans should watch quietly behind their TV screens and let Maddon coach this team.
