Cubs hope slumping Schwindel can find his rhythm in Iowa
Everything about Frank Schwindel seemed too good to be true last season.
He joined the Cubs on July 30 after the flurry of trades that sent away most of the 2016 World Series heroes and hit .342 for the rest of the season. He ranked top 10 in the majors in OPS after the all-star break.
But this season he's hitting .209, and the Cubs sent him to Triple A Iowa on Sunday to help him find some of the North Jersey magic he brought in 2021.
"(He's) somebody that we believe in but need him to get going a little bit," manager David Ross said before Sunday's game. "Get down there, work on some things, take a little bit of the pressure off and let him continue to get back to what we expect him to be and what he expects himself to be."
Schwindel got off to a decent start this year, hitting .261 in the first 12 games. Recently, he's gone 3-for-24 at the plate over the past eight contests.
"This is a league where you've got to produce and we're going take a little bit of the bright lights off and let him work through some things," Ross said. "Hopefully it's not very long. He gets back and finds his rhythm and is able to help us out real soon. I think it's about setting him up to be the best version of himself."
This season, the gap between Schwindel's strikeout and walk percentage has grown. Last year, he was at 15.8% strikeouts and 6.7% walks. This spring, those numbers slipped to 21.9% and 5.2%. He struck out 7 times in a span of three games last week.
"It looks like he's searching for that hit and we kind of swing our way out of it at times rather than being a little more patient and finding out where the strike zone is and how you're connected," Ross said. "Sometimes we point out one problem, but it's something small that fixes a lot of different things and hopefully he can find that real soon."
Sampson returns from Iowa:
With Marcus Stroman unavailable to pitch Sunday, the Cubs brought up right-hander Adrian Sampson to help fill in. An MLB veteran who spent time with Seattle and Texas, Sampson threw well for the Cubs last year, posting a 2.80 ERA in 10 games.
The 30-year-old Seattle native started five games for Iowa this spring with a 3.66 ERA.
"He showed last year he knows how to compete," Cubs manager David Ross said. "Threw a lot of strikes last year in a year we were walking some guys. He'll be in the bullpen and somebody who can give us some length."
Minor league notes:
Right-hander Caleb Killian tossed 5 scoreless innings Sunday and now has a 1.46 ERA in six starts for Iowa this spring. He joined the Cubs from San Francisco last year in the Kris Bryant trade. ... Shortstop Andrelton Simmons has gone 2-for-7 at the plate in his first two rehab starts for Iowa. He began the season on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation.
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