The deluge of top prospects arriving in MLB continued Monday night after news broke the Chicago Cubs would call up catcher Kyle Schwarber. Jesse Rogers of ESPN Chicago reported Schwarber will only be up for six days as the Cubs navigate interleague play.
The 22-year-old has appeared in 57 games for the Double-A Tennessee Smokies. In 238 plate appearances, he has 13 home runs and 39 runs batted in while hitting .318 and slugging .578.
A fair amount of hype surrounds Schwarber. He acclimated well to professional ball after getting drafted fourth overall last year, and going into 2015, he sat 42nd on MLB.com's list of top prospects. FanGraphs and Baseball America were a bit more bullish on the former Indiana Hoosier, ranking him 21st and 19th, respectively.
Baseball America's JJ Cooper highlighted how teams haven't been shy about elevating their most promising minor leaguers into the "The Show":
Now seems like a great time to get Schwarber's feet wet in MLB with Chicago receiving the luxury of a designated hitter over its next two series. The team isn't aching for another catcher, and Schwarber is still too inexperienced in the outfield to be considered an option there.
However, he can DH, which will allow him to both display his impressive power and bat speed and test himself against major league pitching. Cubs general manager Theo Epstein confirmed Schwarber is going to Triple-A within the week no matter how great he performs, per Patrick Mooney of CSN Chicago:
It's tough to argue this season hasn't been a success for the Cubs so far since they're currently in possession of a National League wild-card spot.
Getting a glimpse of Schwarber will show fans in Chicago that the franchise's present and future look extremely bright.
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