Schwarber looks really solid.
Ya he is on the lead off kick again:
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Could Kyle Schwarber lead off again for the Cubs? It's not out of the question.
A svelte Schwarber drove from his home in Tampa to chat with Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer for about half an hour on Tuesday. Schwarber didn't request the meeting to dismiss rumors which have linked him to some American League teams.
"He knows how we feel about him," Hoyer said. "I think he's proud of himself, and he should be. I think he wanted to come here and talk to us. It was great."
And possibly show off how much weight he's lost? When asked, Schwarber said he didn't know. He's not done.
"'Best shape of his life' becomes a cliche or joke, but he actually is," Hoyer said of Schwarber. "He looks awesome. Kyle is a guy who, when you talk to him, he motivates you. It's hard to not want to play right now after listening to him. I think he didn't feel great about his season, he probably didn't feel great with how he felt all year. It's so obvious when you look at him what great shape he's in. I love that he drove over here in some ways to show it off. I don't blame him -- I probably would, too."
The Cubs rotated 11 different players in the leadoff spot last season, including Schwarber, who struggled there, batting .190 in 37 games. He was sent to the Minor Leagues, but finished the season with a .211 average, 30 homers and 59 RBIs for the Cubs.
"There's zero way to prove why he struggled last year," Hoyer said. "It could've been hitting leadoff, it could've been something that happened if he hit fifth. I think it will come down to talking to him, Joe [Maddon] and Kyle having an honest conversation, like, 'Would this bother you? Be honest, don't tell me what I want to hear.' [Schwarber] would know better how much it affected him. He might say, 'It didn't affect me at all, I just didn't hit well.'"
