Schwindel caps off strong debut with Rookie of Month honor originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
If this were last season, Cubs first baseman Frank Schwindel would be the NL Rookie of the Year.
Instead, he'll have to settle for Rookie of the Month awards in the only two full months he played.
MLB named Schwindel the NL Rookie of the Month on Monday — the second straight month he's taken home the honor.
Schwindel joined the Cubs off waivers from the A's two weeks before the trade deadline, taking over as the starting first baseman after the Cubs dealt Anthony Rizzo to the Yankees.
After hitting .344/.394/.635 with six home runs and 18 RBIs in August (26 games), he was even better in September (26 games), slashing .357/.405/.625 with seven home runs and 21 RBIs.
From late August to early September, he had the game-winning hit in five of six games, including a grand slam, to earn NL Player of the Week.
Schwindel finished .342/.389/.613 with 13 home runs and 40 RBIs in 56 games with the Cubs —seventh on the team in bWAR (1.8), ahead of Rizzo (1.2).
He is at least assured a place in the Cubs' plans next spring as they enter this offseason looking to rebuild their roster for 2022 and beyond.
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"With the group that we finished with, I think a lot of awesome stories," outfielder Ian Happ said Sunday.
"Between, [Patrick Wisdom], Frank, [Tyler Payne] coming up and getting that start, [Erick] Castillo — a guy that I played with in the minor leagues at different levels and seeing him get a couple big-league hits — those are really cool moments that you get to experience."
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