Cubs slugger turning it on down stretch

Though fantasy owners hope their biggest stars will produce like the studs they are from the start of the season to the end, that’s not always the case. Even the biggest studs can, and will, find themselves in ruts.

It’s dealing with those ebbs and flows that will determine your fantasy fate, and finding hot bats is key. They’re not always studs or top prospects — in fact, they’re often names you’re not familiar with coming out of nowhere to save the day.

The most added player in ESPN leagues this week was the Cubs’ Frank Schwindel, who is not only a New Jersey native, but also was a solid player for St. John’s from 2011-13. (Fun fact: In St. John’s baseball history,

Schwindel ranks 11th in at-bats (253) in a season, and is tied for fifth in doubles (22). He was also named to the All Big East Second Team in 2013.)

Schwindel was selected by the Royals in the 18th round (534th overall) of the 2013 Amateur Draft. Though he performed well over eight seasons in the minors (.286, 135 HRs, 548 RBIs, 425 runs, .799 OPS), he never made much noise in the majors in the few chances he had. In six games with the Royals in 2019, Schwindel hit .067 with a .133 OPS. He also appeared in eight games for Oakland earlier this season (.150, one HR, three RBIs, .500 OPS) before being selected off waivers by the Cubs on July 18.

That is where things get interesting for the 29-year-old Oakland castoff.

Entering Friday, Schwindel was 46-for-129 (.357) with 10 homers, 30 RBIs, 23 runs and a 1.074 OPS in his previous 34 games. He hit .344 in August, the 10th-best mark in the league, and his .394 on-base percentage ranked 17th. His .635 slugging percentage was the ninth-best mark in the majors for the last month of summer.

(FYI: He was named NL Rookie of the Month in August.)

Schwindel continued to swing a hot bat over his first eight games this month. He entered Friday ranked eighth in average (.394), fifth in homers (four), third in RBIs (12) and ninth in OPS (1.202).

(FYI: He was named the NL Player of the Week on Tuesday.)

At this stage of the season, fantasy owners should only be concerned with one thing: production. It doesn’t matter what Schwindel did or didn’t do in his past, or what he may do in the future, it only matters what he is doing now.

Schwindel is available in 45 percent of ESPN leagues, and he is getting plenty of playing time, producing at a high level and doesn’t appear to be slowing down. While other firstbase eligible players like Max Muncy, Matt Olson, Cody Bellinger, Ryan McMahon and J.T. Realmuto struggle, let Schwindel’s hot bat pick up the slack en route to a fantasy title.