Watch CBS News

Levine: Kyle Schwarber Takes Heat Off Rookie Teammates

By Bruce Levine--

CHICAGO (CBS) --  Three Cubs rookies and a manager are quite thankful for the ascension of Kyle Schwarber to the major league level. An NL Rookie of the Year candidate, Schwarber continues to pound out big hits and make his body of work count.

Schwarber, a 23-year-old catcher/outfielder, did it all once again for the Cubs on Tuesday evening in a rain-delayed 10-8 loss to the Tigers at Wrigley Field. In the top of the fifth inning, he threw out a Detroit's Jose Iglesias at the plate with a rifle throw from medium left field. In the bottom half, he hit a 400-foot rocket three-run homer to pull the Cubs within 6-5.

While fellow rookies Kris Bryant, Jorge Soler and Addison Russell have encountered ups and downs through the long season, Schwarber has been impressing all along with his power bat. He's now receiving a great deal of the attention.

"Kyle has been a huge part of our success lately," Bryant said Tuesday. "It is great that he is getting all the attention. For the rest of us, I believe as things calm down out there, it is easier to focus and be just another ball player in the clubhouse."

Schwarber hasn't batted an eye when it comes to dealing with pressure or looking like a kid in his first few months in the big leagues. He's hitting .310 with nine homers, 30 RBIs and a .995 OPS in 35 games, helping the Cubs hold the second NL wild-card spot.

"We have the best fans in baseball," Schwarber said. "It feels like we are in a playoff game every day. This  is probably a good thing for us young guys, because we don't really know what to expect. We just go out there and have fun playing baseball. All we can do is try to help the team win that day."

The simplistic outlook that has been the young Cubs' mantra from day one is credited to manager Joe Maddon and his coaching staff.

"Joe has done a really good job of allowing us to be ourselves," Bryant said. "He has allowed us to carry over the success we had at other levels, by not by being ourselves and working our way out of slumps and difficult times and just being ourselves again."

If Maddon was a jockey on a great horse, he would appear to be handling the stretch run by sparing the whip on his young group.

"I want the guys to do the same thing they have been doing," Maddon said. "There is nothing to change. We want to win Tuesday's game, then move on to Wednesday. I promise you, very sincerely, there is nothing I would change about our guys right now. Some have met adversity and fought through it. Others had been there and done that before, they understood how to do it. The group works well together. They really support each other. I like what I am seeing."

Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.