Chicago Cubs: Who will Kyle Schwarber replace on World Series roster?
By Joshua Mayer
Outfielder: Albert Almora, Jason Heyward or Jorge Soler
A pick that would come as a slight surprise, Almora has not seen his struggles highlighted like those of fellow outfielder Jason Heyward. While Almora is only a rookie, his 0-9 in the postseason has not helped anyone. He did receive the start ahead of Heyward against Clayton Kershaw in game six, but Almora failed to perform.
He can still provide value with his defense, but provided Jason Heyward is kept on the roster, Almora as a defensive replacement may not be necessary.
Possibly the center fielder of the future, the 22-year-old was above average in the regular season with a .277/.308/.455 slash. His defense in center was very useful when Dexter Fowler was on the Disabled List, but he may not have enough experience in right or left to be worth a roster spot as a defensive replacement.
Chances of Almora being replaced: 8%
Heyward would be a much more shocking pick as having a player making $23 million left off a World Series roster would be downright comical. It is highly doubtful that this will happen. Even as bad as Heyward has been at the plate, and he has been bad, he still plays tremendous defense in the outfield.
In an accomplishment that he may not be particularly proud of, Heyward became the first outfielder to slug below .330 and still accumulate at least 1.5 Wins Above Replacement since Juan Pierre in 2010. Pierre accumulated much of his value from his league-leading 68 steals, while Heyward relied on his defense since he only swiped 11 bags.
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This makes his fielding all the more impressive, and everything else all the more worse. Either way, expect his roster spot to be safe and for him to continue starting against right handed pitchers (all Indians starters) most of the time.
Chances of Heyward being replaced: 1%
Jorge Soler is the final pure outfielder on the bubble, as he has failed to produce in the postseason, going 0-8 with two walks. He has only received one start and has been used mostly as a pinch hitter due to his fielding liabilities. He should be kept on the roster due to his power potential as a DH if Schwarber proves unready to return to prominence.
Chances of Soler being replaced: 7.5%