Former Cub catcher John Baker has recently signed as an operations assistant for the team.
His job description:
In his new role with the organization, Baker will contribute to all
elements within the club’s baseball operations department, including
player development and scouting with an eye towards catching and mental
skills. He will visit the club’s affiliates to work with the minor
league players on and off the field, evaluate amateur players leading up
to the draft, and spend time around the major league club among
additional responsibilities and opportunities.
What caught my eye was "player development" and "catching and mental skills."
Kyle Schwarber still wants to learn to be a major league catcher. In the minors, he caught and he hit extremely well. There are some players who thrive on being "into" the game on defense. (This is why so many National League hitters fail when they move to DH in the American League, i.e. Adam Dunn and Adam LaRoche.)
And if Schwarber can catch, that is a huge upgrade at a position that is league-wide devoid of power hitters. And moving him back to the plate will make the Cubs outfield defense better by putting a natural outfielder in left.
Schwarber is not suited to play a daily left field. The post season showed his fundamental flaws of trying to learn the position on the fly (in a pressure situation). The Cubs need his bat in the line up because he is a contact hitter who is learning to adjust to major league pitchers. You can't use him as the third catcher all season. (I thought that Montero would catch 3 games a week; Ross catch Lester and Schwarber could catch Hendricks, since they did so in the minors.)
So I would not be surprised that Baker becomes Schwarber's catching tutor.
