Cubs pitchers and catchers will report to Mesa 12 days from now, February 14, and their first workout will be the next day.
So let’s begin our countdown to 2017 baseball with the Cubs’ No. 12, Kyle Schwarber.
His comeback from a devastating knee injury to be productive (7-for-17, a double, three walks, a stolen base) in the World Series was nothing short of miraculous, a baseball story that’ll be told (along with the Cubs’ WS win) for generations to come.
Now, we’ll see how well Kyle’s knee has healed up to play in the field, which he wasn’t cleared for during the World Series. Schwarber has gone on record as saying he still wants to catch. This might or might not be possible, and it’s unlikely he’ll ever be more than a part-time catcher, maybe catching a dozen or so games a year.
But given his hard work and how far he came in a much shorter time than anyone expected, I wouldn’t put anything in baseball that he wants to achieve past Kyle Schwarber.
12 days!