With the recent injury to Kyle Schwarber, the Cubs’ 20-20 vision is dimming. With Schwarber sidelined Sunday for his third consecutive game, and it is unlikely, according to manager Joe Maddon, that he will be ready for the three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals starting Monday, it will be difficult for the left-handed slugger to reach the 20-homer plateau.
In his first 48 games with Chicago, Schwarber has 13 home runs, 38 RBI, a .270 batting average and a .552 slugging percentage. Before being sidelined, Schwarber was on a pace to hit 23 home runs, a total that would have put him in company with fellow rookie Kris Bryant, whose 22 homers is second to Joc Pederson of the Dodgers, who leads all first-year players in 2015 with 24 knocks.
If Schwarber comes back healthy and has enough at-bats, he and Bryant have an outside shot at becoming only the 10th pair of teammates in baseball history to club 20 or more homers in their first major league season.
Joey Votto and Jay Bruce of the Reds were the last duo to accomplish the feat in 2008 when Votto belted 24 and Bruce, 21.
Cubs rookie shortstop Addison Russell has 12 homers, but would have to almost double his homer output from his first 115 games by clubbing eight home runs in the final 28 games left on the regular season schedule.
The only team to have three rookies with 20-plus homers are the 1982 Minnesota Twins who had Gary Gaetti (25), Kent Hrbek (23) and Tom Brunansky (20)—Hrbek went on to capture the A.L. Rookie of the Year Award that season.
In his first 48 games with Chicago, Schwarber has 13 home runs, 38 RBI, a .270 batting average and a .552 slugging percentage. Before being sidelined, Schwarber was on a pace to hit 23 home runs, a total that would have put him in company with fellow rookie Kris Bryant, whose 22 homers is second to Joc Pederson of the Dodgers, who leads all first-year players in 2015 with 24 knocks.
If Schwarber comes back healthy and has enough at-bats, he and Bryant have an outside shot at becoming only the 10th pair of teammates in baseball history to club 20 or more homers in their first major league season.
Joey Votto and Jay Bruce of the Reds were the last duo to accomplish the feat in 2008 when Votto belted 24 and Bruce, 21.
Cubs rookie shortstop Addison Russell has 12 homers, but would have to almost double his homer output from his first 115 games by clubbing eight home runs in the final 28 games left on the regular season schedule.
The only team to have three rookies with 20-plus homers are the 1982 Minnesota Twins who had Gary Gaetti (25), Kent Hrbek (23) and Tom Brunansky (20)—Hrbek went on to capture the A.L. Rookie of the Year Award that season.
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