Emma: It's Pretty Clear, Kyle Schwarber Is Part Of Cubs' Future

By Chris Emma--

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Music played loudly through Wrigley Field, and Cubs manager Joe Maddon couldn't help but to notice the noise. He looked up toward the video board in left center field and there was a Kyle Schwarber, then a student at Middletown High School in Ohio, dancing and singing as a member of a choir.

Maddon looked down the dugout to his left and saw Schwarber in his usual perch by the third-base entrance, ready to greet his teammates as they enter and exit the field.

"I like the fact that he comes out, he's still involved," Maddon said of Schwarber. "He's in the greeting line every time we win. It's very important to have him connected like that for next year, and the guys love having him around."

Serving this role has been tough for Schwarber, but it's this or nothing. Just four games into the season, he suffered a gruesome knee injury that ended his second year in the big leagues shortly after it started.

A star at every level -- his rookie season included -- Schwarber was handed a great deal of adversity this season. He's missing out on a season that holds World Series hopes.

"I definitely want to be out there as a player, helping this team win every day, but I got to find a different way to help this team win in any way possible," Schwarber said.

"I've accepted it. I know what happened. I'm just going to go around with a big smile and try to make these guys smile. It's a grinding game, it's 162 -- plus more."

Schwarber crushed 16 home runs in his abbreviated rookie season, plus five more in the postseason, a Cubs playoff record. He instantly became a fan favorite, well before he put a home run ball atop the right field video board.

This season has been different for Schwarber. He arrives at the ballpark early for his rehab, then stays around for scouting reports. Schwarber prepares each day as if he's going to play, even working with the pitchers and their coach, Chris Bosio, on game plans. During the draft, Schwarber was a part of the preparation done by executives Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer.

The Cubs value Schwarber -- and for many years to come. On the verge of going into selling mode, the Yankees want Schwarber as their designated hitter of the future. Epstein and Hoyer have hardly given that thought, and rightfully so.

"This guy is an elite middle-of-the-order bat," Hoyer said on Tuesday. "He has the kind of makeup we look for. We kind of let that stand for itself."

Any trade for elite Yankees relievers Andrew Miller or Aroldis Chapman would bolster the Cubs' chances of winning the World Series. Miller is the better option, given that he comes with two-and-a-half years of team control. For his part, Chapman hit 105 on the radar gun Monday night.

Regardless, the Cubs would be wise not to budge on the Yankees' request for Schwarber -- and they certainly don't seem inclined to do so. As of Tuesday, both Epstein and Hoyer have rather emphatically proclaimed that Schwarber is part of the team's future vision.

The Cubs' farm system remains loaded with talent, boasting names like Gleyber Torres, Ian Happ, Billy McKinney, Eloy Jimenez and Dan Vogelbach, just to name a few. One could go down the list 20 or 30 prospects deep and create the right price for Miller. The Yankees need an infusion of major league-ready young talent, and the Cubs can offer that better than any other team.

Throughout the reports and rumors -- more the latter than the former -- Schwarber has stayed even-keeled. He's keenly aware that Epstein, Hoyer and the Cubs value having a 40-plus home run bat in the middle of the order. Schwarber had some struggles in left field last season, but he's a terrific athlete still learning a relatively new position.

Trading somebody of Schwarber's caliber could haunt the Cubs for years. His power simply won't slump, and he'll be a catalyst for this young core. Schwarber's impact should be be profound.

Jogging will be the next step in Schwarber's rehab, which remains well ahead of schedule. He already has a full range of motion in his knee and is working hard to make an impact in 2017.

"I've learned a lot, actually, being away from the game," Schwarber said.

Added Maddon of Schwarber's work: "Really, he's just a brave guy."

Schwarber would absolutely love to be a designated hitter in the World Series and cherish the chance to come off the bench in the postseason. That minimal possibility would only come if his rehab went extraordinarily well. Schwarber and the Cubs' training staff are keeping realistic, with 2017 as the goal.

Here are the Cubs amid a season of great promise, and Schwarber is simply along for the ride. He's there to greet teammates in good times and bad while just bringing a smile to their faces. Maddon marvels as the positive spirit of Schwarber.

Smiling the whole time hasn't come easy, but it's all Schwarber can do until next season.

"I am very lucky to be here," he said, "and be along for this journey that hopefully goes all the way to where we want to go."

Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670 and like his Facebook page.