Schwarber moving up after quick stint with Boise

MIAMI -- When Rick Renteria was the Pirates' first-round pick in 1980, Twitter didn't exist. His every at-bat wasn't posted on any social media outlets. It's a different world for Kyle Schwarber, the Cubs' No. 1 selection on June 5, who hit two home runs on Tuesday with short-season Boise and was promoted to Class A Kane County.

Schwarber was expected to be at Kane County on Thursday. He's not the only high-profile Cubs prospect getting a promotion. Kris Bryant, the team's No. 1 selection in 2013, was moved up from Double-A Tennessee to Triple-A Iowa.

"I'm hopeful that those guys are concerned more with what they're doing on the field," Renteria said. "The landscape has changed. The moment-to-moment media coverage on every single thing that goes on, that wasn't existent for us. The biggest thing for me is they're handling what they're doing on the field. Part of their growth will be understanding all of this.

"All indications are that [Schwarber] is a pretty good kid, so it shouldn't be a very difficult transition."

A catcher at Indiana, Schwarber was 12-for-20 with four home runs, seven runs and 10 RBIs in five games at Boise.

Schwarber found out he was going to Kane County while riding on the team bus for a road trip to Eugene, Ore. Renteria recalled his own big promotion from Double-A to Triple-A in 1984. His father and brother had flown from California to the East Coast to watch Rick play, and he got word when they arrived that he was headed to Hawaii and the Pirates' Triple-A team.

Was there any pressure being a No. 1 pick?

"I never thought of it that way," Renteria said. "I was just playing baseball."

The media scrutiny definitely was much less.

"You got a phone call at home, and the local paper wanted to talk to you," Renteria said. "When I got to Bradenton, [Fla.], there was a local reporter there who wanted to talk, and asked how quickly was I going to get to the big leagues. I had no idea."