Kyle Schwarber has high hopes for the 2018 season, and he wants to be a part of the MVP conversation.
Coming off of a disappointing last season when he saw a demotion to Class AAA Iowa in June, Schwarber has rejuvenated himself this offseason.
Two weeks ago, Schwarber’s workouts and noticeable weight loss have caught the attention of media and fans alike. While many speculate as to whether Scharber will ever live up to the standards set on him, the 24-year-old left fielder is keeping his head down and ignoring the noise.
“Everyone is caught up in the weight-loss thing,” Schwarber said told ESPN. “I’m not. I’m training my body for 162 games times nine innings or maybe more. I want to be an MVP. I want to be a Gold Glover. I want to set my standards really high.”
Last season, Jose Altuve and Giancarlo Stanton ran away with the American League and National League Most Valuable Player titles, respectively.
Stanton hit .281 with a whopping 59 home runs last season with the Marlins.
Schwarber didn’t even come close to that. He batted .211 with 30 home runs and 50 RBI in 129 games. Schwarber shined a little bit of hope in September when he hit .288, but other than that his season was plagued with hitting slumps and inconsistency in the outfield.
But Schwarber is looking to rewrite his story next season and believes he can be a key player for the Cubs or whichever team he ends up with.
On a side note, Schwarber did dish out what his daily workout regime is like.
His workouts include agility drills on a football field — that’s where he eventually tracked down that tennis ball— followed by indoor training sessions at the Applied Science and Performance Institute (ASPI), a popular workout facility among elite athletes in the area. Finally, Schwarber’s day ends with him doing what he does best: hitting a baseball really far.