World Series: Kyle Schwarber Did What the Cubs Couldn’t
After being eliminated from the NL title series by the St. Louis Cardinals, Kyle Schwarber did what the Cubs couldn’t. He went all in, and his numbers don’t bear any meaningful, and in many cases, negative implications.
Schwarber, a 28-year old third baseman who was acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals on the night that the Cubs learned that they had reached the National League Championship Series, made the most of his opportunity in the World Series. In seven games, he batted.333 with three home runs, 10 RBIs, and four stolen bases, driving in the team’s final run with a two-run single. His other four hits resulted in two strikeouts. In his seven postseason games, he carried his bat and won’t be forgetting it as he and the Cubs get ready for life after a World Series win.
But, for the most part, the numbers suggest that Schwarber wasn’t the same person after the World Series. To be clear, I was not surprised that Schwarber did not improve upon his postseason numbers and, to some extent, fell off after the Series. But after this series, the stats that have a bearing on his chances of repeating in the playoffs for the Cubs and the likelihood they will win a World Series for the first time since 1908 have been a bit muddled and, to be honest, more problematic than they initially appeared to be.
It is true that Schwarber hit better as a postseason regular than he did when he went 0-for-15 (5-for-30) in the regular season. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
While this was a rough Series for some players, there is no reason to think it was for Schwarber, and there was a reason he took seven at bats at the plate. His postseason batting average against, in general, was right around.300, with a.313 mark against right-handed pitchers and a.323 mark against left-handed pitchers. While it’s true that his.321 against right-handers was the highest