Cubs select the contract of catcher Kyle Schwarber
Right-hander Brian Schlitter optioned to Triple-A Iowa
CHICAGO - The Chicago Cubs today selected the contract of catcher Kyle Schwarber from Double-A Tennessee and optioned right-handed pitcher Brian Schlitter to Triple-A Iowa.
Schwarber, who will wear uniform number 12, will be available for the Cubs tonight against the Cleveland Indians at Wrigley Field.
Schwarber, 22, was selected by the Cubs in the first round of the 2014 Draft (fourth overall) and has batted .333 (153-for-459) with 28 doubles, 31 home runs, 92 RBI and 81 walks in 130 professional games. He has posted a .432 on-base percentage and a .610 slugging percentage, good for a 1.042 OPS. He began the season ranked the fourth-best prospect in the organization by Baseball America and was recently ranked the 15th-best prospect in all of baseball by ESPN.com.
The left-handed hitting Schwarber has spent the entire 2015 season with Tennessee, where he batted .320 (63-for-197) with 10 doubles, one triple, 13 home runs and 39 RBI in 58 games to earn Southern League All-Star honors. He turned in a .438 on-base percentage and a .579 slugging percentage, good for a 1.017 OPS.
Schwarber was drafted by the Cubs out of Indiana University, where he was a two-time First-Team All-American after batting .341 with 40 home runs and 149 RBI in 180 career games. He was named one of three finalists for the 2014 Johnny Bench Award, given to the top Division I catcher in the nation, and was selected as the top catcher in the country by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association in 2013.
The 6-foot, 235-pound Schwarber played across three levels in the Cubs system last year, culminating with 44 games with Single-A Daytona. He hit above .300 at each level and collected three Player of the Week honors along the way. He finished third among Cubs minor leaguers with 18 home runs despite not making his season debut until June 13.
Schwarber is a native of Middletown, Ohio and is a graduate of Middletown High School, where he was a four-time team MVP in baseball and a second-team All-Ohio linebacker selection in football.
Schlitter, 29, is 1-2 with a 7.36 ERA (6 ER/7.1 IP) in 10 relief appearances for the Cubs this year. He is 2-0 with five saves and a 1.13 ERA (2 ER/16.0 IP) in 14 relief appearances with Iowa this season.