From the ashes of the Cubs’ World Series team rose an unlikely phoenix named Frank Schwindel, a 29-year-old rookie first baseman who came to Chicago after being DFA’d by the A’s in mid-July of 2021. When Anthony Rizzo was traded to the Yankees on July 29, the Cubs had an opening at first base. Enter Schwindel, who went on to slash .342/.389/.613 with 13 homers in 239 plate appearances down the stretch. That’s 12 more dingers than he’d hit previously and five more than he’d hit over the rest of his brief career.
He played briefly for the Águilas Cibaeñas in the Dominican Winter League, then joined the Orix Buffaloes in Japan for a disappointing run that saw him slash .