CUBS NAME MATT SWARMER MINOR LEAGUE PITCHER OF THE YEAR

Matt Swarmer's impressive 2018 season Earns Cubs Minor League Pitcher of the Year Honors

September 18, 2018

SEVIERVILLE, TENNESSEE - The Chicago Cubs announced Tuesday afternoon that right-handed pitcher Matt Swarmer has been named the organization's Minor League Pitcher of the Year. This was Matt Swarmer's second year with Double-A Tennessee as he spent a short time with the club towards the end of the 2017 season.  Swarmer, 24,

SEVIERVILLE, TENNESSEE - The Chicago Cubs announced Tuesday afternoon that right-handed pitcher Matt Swarmer has been named the organization's Minor League Pitcher of the Year. This was Matt Swarmer's second year with Double-A Tennessee as he spent a short time with the club towards the end of the 2017 season.

Swarmer, 24, went 9-8 with a 3.22 ERA (46 ER/128.2 IP) in 24 starts between Single-A Myrtle Beach and Double-A Tennessee. He struck out 135 batters while walking just 21, good for a 6.43 strikeout to walk ratio. He began the season with Myrtle Beach, going 5-2 with a 2.28 ERA (13 ER/51.1 IP) and 59 strikeouts in nine starts to earn Carolina League mid-season All-Star honors. He was named Cubs Minor League Pitcher of the Month in April after going 2-2 with a 1.74 ERA (4 ER/20.2 IP) in four starts. Promoted to Tennessee on June 5, Swarmer posted a 3.84 ERA (33 ER/77.1 IP) in 15 starts with the Smokies, striking out 76 batters and walking just 14.
Swarmer has a career 16-14 record with a 3.84 ERA (106 ER/248.2 IP) in 56 appearances, 41 as a starter. He went 7-5 with a 4.71 ERA (53 ER/101.1 IP) in 24 appearances across four teams in the Cubs organization in 2017, and posted a 3.38 ERA (7 ER/18.2 IP) in eight games with Mesa in his pro debut in 2016.
Selected by the Cubs in the 19th round of the 2016 Draft out of Kutztown University (Penn.), Swarmer was named All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference First Team in 2016. The Chicago Cubs also named Jared Young the Cubs Minor League Player of the Year, who split time between Single-A South Bend and Single-A Myrtle Beach throughout the 2018 season.
Young and Swarmer will be honored during an on-field ceremony prior to the Cubs 7:05 p.m. CT game Thursday, September 27, against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field.
ABOUT THE TENNESSEE SMOKIES
The Tennessee Smokies are the Double-A affiliate of the World Series Champion Chicago Cubs. Members of the ten-team Southern League, Smokies baseball has been entertaining families and fans of America's national pastime in the East Tennessee region for over 100 years. To learn more about the Tennessee Smokies, visit www.smokiesbaseball.com