CHICAGO -- You know Kyle Schwarber can hit, especially in his home state of Ohio. But the key to the Cubs rookie sticking is whether he can catch, and a four-day boot camp in January helped the 22-year-old take a huge step toward being a big league catcher. It also was one more opportunity to show off his hitting.
Tim Cossins, the Cubs' Minor League field coordinator, hosts the defense-centric minicamp, and this year, he invited three players, including Schwarber. When the youngster arrived, he wanted to get started immediately, so they went to a junior-college field in Santa Rosa, Calif.