Schwarber homers twice, continues tear

Not even a month removed from the 2014 Draft, it doesn't take much for the hype machine to get going on some of the first players chosen, but try this on for size.

Kris Bryant, the Cubs' No. 2 prospect and the No. 2 overall pick in last year's Draft, clubbed four homers during his 18-game stay with short-season Boise last summer. He was moved up to Class A Advanced Daytona last August and just finished one of the most impressive first halves in the Minors this season.

Kyle Schwarber, the No. 4 overall pick by the Cubs two weeks ago, already has four homers for Boise. He's played only five games.

The Indiana University product went 3-for-4 with two homers and a double on Tuesday afternoon to lead the Hawks to a 12-3 win over Tri-City at Boise's Memorial Stadium. It was the first multi-homer game of his brief pro career.

"It feels good to have that under my belt now," Schwarber said. "I've been in a good spot since I've been here and I'm definitely feeling really comfortable around these guys. It hasn't taken much to let that happen here, which is comforting, and that's been a big help in carrying over some of the success I had in college."

Both dingers were solo shots. In the first inning, Schwarber -- a left-handed hitter but right-handed thrower -- pulled an offering from right-handed starter Blake Shouse over the right-field wall. He sent the second one to right-center off right-handed reliever Carlos Yan in his final plate appearance in the eighth. Each of Schwarber's four homers have come off Northwest League right-handers.

Schwarber, who started in left field Tuesday but also has gotten time behind the plate and at DH, is 12-for-20 (.600) with four homers, a triple, a double and 10 RBIs in his first five games. Only State College's Rowan Wick has as many homers as in domestic short-season leagues; put another way, they're the only players in that classification with more than a pair of roundtrippers.

That comes after Schwarber put up a .358/.464/.659 line with 14 homers, six triples, 16 doubles 48 RBIs in 59 games for the Hoosiers. His last NCAA game was June 2 (a 5-4 loss to Stanford during which he went 3-for-4 with a homer). Eleven days later, he was suiting up for the first time with the Hawks and going 3-for-4 with a homer. That limited time between game action has been a huge help to getting the 6-foot, 235-pound slugger off to a hot start.

"It's been good because I didn't get much of a break," he said. "Right after I finished, I was getting right back at it. Just being able to get my career going so quickly was huge for me, and I can't thank the Cubs enough for giving me the chance."

Of course, with a hot start like the one Schwarber is enjoying comes the hype. That's especially true of the Cubs and their rabid fanbase while the club continues the rebuilding process that has seen its Minor League system stocked with talent and the attention paid to it heightened greatly.

Although he recognizes higher numbers might mean higher expectations, Schwarber is limiting his attention to his next at-bat and his next game.

"You've just got to block all those things out," he said. "Baseball is a tough game. You're going to have struggles. You're going to have ups, you're going to have downs. You have to fight through each of them and try to do well next time, no matter what."

Jeffrey Baez, Daniel Canela and Davide Bote also went deep for the Hawks. It was the first time a Northwest League team has hit five homers in one game since 2010 when Everett did it.