Let's Watch Kyle Schwarber Destroy Baseballs To Celebrate His 24th Birthday

I know I'll probably get run out of the building for saying this but a good part of me feels like Kyle Schwarber is turning into the most popular player for the Chicago Cubs. Just four years ago, he was a relatively normal catcher playing at the University of Indiana and now he finds himself almost achieving legendary status for his role in helping the Cubs win the 2016 World Series. The Cubs roster is littered with superstars and yet, it seems like Schwarber is the one that fans want to see. I say all of this because I myself am a huge fan of the War Bear. Even if you take away the freakishly quick turnaround from a devastating knee injury, the heroic at-bats during the World Series, and his ability to hit the shit out of a baseball, Schwarber just seems like a kid who's having a blast playing the game that he loves. It's personalities like his that make him so endearing to a very loyal Cubs fan base and it also doesn't hurt it looks like the guy could (and would) still set a record for the longest keg stand at a house party. So as great of personality that the 24-year-old Schwarber has, it's pretty hard to write a legit article about how great of a dude he is. Plus, nobody would want to read it. So instead of doing that, let's watch Schwarber hit the ever-loving shit out of a couple baseballs as our way of saying Happy Birthday. (use the arrow at the top to continue) Kyle Schwarber made his Major League debut on June 16, 2015 understanding that he'd only be up for six games to serve as a DH during the Cubs interleague series versus the Cleveland Indians and the Minnesota Twins. Once those six games were complete, he'd be sent back down to AAA Iowa to continue to work on his game. It was almost a "let's see what you can do" type of thing for Schwarber. Well, he had a lot to show. In those six games, he slashed .364/.391/.591 which was highlighted by his first three-hit game on June 17 and his first career home run on the following night. Even with Schwarber killing every baseball in sight, the Cubs held true to their word and shipped the big catcher back down to AAA Iowa. However, it wouldn't be long until the War Bear came back up to the big leagues but this time, it'd be for good. (use the arrow to continue) Catcher Miguel Montero was placed on the DL in mid-July with a thumb injury which gave Schwarber yet another opportunity to prove that he belonged in the big leagues. If those six interleague games didn't prove that he should be with the Cubs full time, his play for the next seven days would seal the deal. In limited action against the Atlanta Braves, Schwarber hit .500 (3-6) which set the stage for his "don't send me back down to Iowa" moment against the Cincinnati Reds. On July 21, 2015, Kyle Schwarber killed the Reds by himself. (Side note here: It must be something about Reds pitching that Cubs hitters wake up everyday and think, "Thank God. We get to play the Reds today." Not only did Schwarber kill the Reds, Kris Bryant destroyed them by himself in 2016) In a 13-inning game, Schwarber went 4-7 with two home runs and four RBIs, including a late-inning homer that won the game for the Cubs. And as we all know, Schwarber never made the trip back to AAA again. He continued to hit the shit out of the baseball throughout the rest of 2015 and that didn't slow down once the postseason arrived. The Cubs finished the 2015 season 97-65 which was good for third place in the NL Central and gave them a spot in the NL Wild Card game against the team that finished ahead of them in the standings, the Pittsburgh Pirates. With a one-run lead in the top of the third, Schwarber came to bat with a runner on first base. The one run lead probably would have held up because Jake Arrieta was throwing fucking bee bees that game but a one-run cushion in a postseason game is NEVER enough. Enter Schwarber. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCWqZZe3aeg It makes it just a tad sweeter that it came off Pirates "ace" Gerrit Cole who, a year after giving up this moon shot, would state "the Cubs aren't the best team in baseball." Ok, Gerrit. The Cubs would go on to defeat the Pirates 4-0 which put them up against yet another divisional rival in the NLDS, the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals finished 2015 atop the NL Central and their fans, per usual, were bragging about how easy another World Series victory would be. All they had to do was get by the Cubs. That turned out to be a tad bit more difficult than the Red Birds expected. With a 2-1 series lead and a 5-4 lead in Game 4 of the NLDS, the Cubs had an opportunity to put their hated rivals away at Wrigley Field. Enter Schwarber...again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlJJfyatUNo The now famous, "score board home run" that turned Schwarber into an icon in his rookie season with the Cubs. _________________________________________________________________________ Schwarber (like most of the Cubs offense) forgot how to hit a baseball during the NLCS as the Cubs eventually got swept by the New York Mets. With that said, one of his two hits in the NLCS was a home run. Had he not gotten hurt in the first month of 2016, I can guarantee you there'd be about 35 more home run videos for me to sift through trying to pull out the best ones. Let's just say I think we're all ready to see what Kyle Schwarber can do in a full Major League season for the first time in his career. Happy Birthday Schwarbs.