Cubs Quick Hits: Kyle Schwarber’s Glaring Weak Spot

Backed by the faith of Theo Epstein, Joe Maddon has kept Kyle Schwarber — who Epstein compares to David Ortiz — in the two-hole. Many peripherals suggest that the left fielder has been the victim of bad luck and his batted-ball portfolio correlates to 4 percent more run production than an average hitter.

There’s at least one area of vulnerability in Schwarber’s game, however, that can’t be overlooked or explained away by expected outcomes: inside pitches near the hands.

Schwarbs has mashed pitches thrown over the plate and toward the opposite batter’s box, but is particularly struggling to get around on pitches in on the wrists. Compared to a 90+ mph exit velocity against outside pitches, War Bear is only hitting pitches near his hands at speeds of 65.5 and 77.5 mph. This area is especially problematic against righties, where the slugger has only hit pitches in that up-and-in zone at an average of 48 mph.