As Homer Simpson said, “good things don’t end in -eum, they end in -mania.” Tonight, Cubs uber-prospect Kyle Schwarber will make his first ever Major League start (after making his brief debut last night), having been called up from Double-A Tennessee yesterday. So now it’s Kyle Schwarber mania, palooza, lunacy, madness, craziness, fixation etc. Kind of.
This season has already brought #Krismas and RussellFest, so now brings the third opportunity for Cubs fans to irrationally overreact to the promotion of a super-prospect. Sort of.
To make room for Schwarber, the Cubs optioned right-handed pitcher Brian Schlitter to Triple-A Iowa. Paraphrasing Cousin Eddie in “Christmas Vacation,” “the Schlitter’s full!”
Seriously though, Schlitter is becoming to this year’s Cubs what Jack Skille was to the 2008-10 Chicago Blackhawks: called up and then sent down. Promoted and then demoted. Over and over. Rinse and repeat.
Kyle Schwarber was drafted by the Cubs in the first round of the 2014 Draft (fourth overall) and has hit .333 with 28 doubles, 31 home runs, 92 RBI and 81 walks in 130 professional games. Schwarber began the season ranked the fourth-best prospect in the organization by Baseball America and was recently ranked the 15th-best prospect in all of baseball by ESPN.com.
After his five-day stint with the Cubs, Schwarber is expected to be sent down to Triple-A Iowa to refine his skills.
“It’s the perfect pit stop for him on the way to Triple-A,” Cubs President Theo Epstein said.
This five day stretch will be enough to incite the Schwarber lunacy though. If it hasn’t started already that is.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with Fox Sports Digital. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. He also appears regularly on numerous sports talk radio stations all across the country.
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