Hoosiers in the MLB: Schwarber Belts 19th Home Run, Cubs' Effross Dealing

Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies and Scott Effross of the Chicago Cubs are the two former Indiana Hoosiers in the MLB right now, and the 2013 College World Series teammates have carved out important roles on their respective teams.

USA Today

Kyle Schwarber and Scott Effross were key members of Indiana baseball's 2013 College World Series team, and now each is experiencing one of their best seasons in the MLB. Schwarber is blasting home run after home run for the Philadelphia Phillies, and Scott Effross has developed into one of the most reliable bullpen arms for the Chicago Cubs.

Let's take a look at the pair of former Hoosiers in the MLB.

Kyle Schwarber, OF, Philadelphia Phillies

• 2022 stats: .214AVG/.340OBP/.488SLG/.828OPS, 49 R, 19 HR, 39 RBI, 3 SB 
• Season highlights: Kyle Schwarber has three multi-home run games, most recently on June 16 in the Phillies' 10-1 win over the Nationals. He recorded a season-high four hits on June 8, and he currently has seven hits over the last seven games. Eight of his 19 home runs have come in June, and he also  has seven multi-RBI games this month.
• Career outlook: Schwarber will forever be remembered for miraculously batting .412 in the 2016 World Series after tearing his ACL in April of the same season. Since then, he has three 30-plus home run seasons and 172 long balls over an eight-year MLB career. Schwarber made his first All-Star game in 2021 with a career-high .266 batting average. His strikeout numbers are still quite high – 87 in 68 games this season and 805 in 732 career games – but he's a slugger that can truly take one out of the park at any moment.
• As a Hoosier: Schwarber blasted 18 home runs with a .366 batting average in 2013, leading Indiana to its most recent College World Series appearance. As a junior in 2014, Schwarber was a Baseball America first-team All-American, as well as a finalist for the Johnny Bench Award for his work as a catcher. He posted a career 1.044 OPS in three seasons at Indiana before becoming the fourth overall pick by the Chicago Cubs in the 2014 MLB Draft, which is the highest pick in Indiana baseball history. 

June Kyle Schwarber is once again a thing. 👀

That's his 8th homer of the month. 💪 pic.twitter.com/qwkFdWIji8

— MLB (@MLB) June 22, 2022

Scott Effross, RHP, Chicago Cubs

• 2022 stats: 29 IP, 3.10 ERA, 37 K, 7 BB, 27 H, 1 HR
  
• Season highlights: Scott Effross is tied for second in ERA on the Cubs with Keegan Thompson, behind David Robertson. Effross has emerged as perhaps the most reliable bullpen arm for Chicago, aside from the closer Robertson. His 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings is tied for third on the team, and his 2.2 walks per nine innings is just 0.1 shy of the team lead. Effross "frisbee slider" has become a true wipeout pitch, allowing a Cubs-low one home run. To start the season, Effross held opponents scoreless in 17 of his first 18 appearances. Most recently, he struck out three batters in 1.1 innings while allowing one hit in the Cubs' win over the Atlanta Braves. If he keeps this up, Effross will continue to earn high-leverage outings in the seventh and eighth innings.
• Career outlook: The 28-year-old Effross is making the most of every opportunity in his second MLB season. He's building off a solid 3.68 ERA in 14.2 innings at the end of last season for the Cubs, becoming truly a reliable bullpen arm. With his sidearm delivery, Effross' frisbee slider might be the nastiest pitch on the Cubs' roster. Effross won't become a free agent until 2028 and isn't eligible for arbitration until 2025, making him an valuable and affordable piece for the Cubs moving forward. 
• As a Hoosier: As a freshman on Indiana's 2013 College World Series team, Effross posted a 2.44 ERA in 62.2 innings out of the bullpen. He was second among Hoosiers with five saves, and opposing hitters batted .230 against Effross. His dominance at Indiana continued in 2014, posting a 1.98 ERA in 54.2 innings. The following season, Effross made seven starts and 14 relief appearances with a 2.35 ERA. He tossed 5.1 scoreless innings against the eventual national runner-up Vanderbilt Commodores, and allowed just one run in six innings against No. 18 Stanford as Indiana's Opening Day starter. Effross elected to forgo his senior year at Indiana, and he was selected in the 15th round by the Chicago Cubs, who he has been with ever since. 

Scott Effross, Frisbees. 🥏 pic.twitter.com/MV3B7w8aav

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 29, 2022

Related stories on Indiana baseball:

• PYNE, MATHISON TIBBITTS EARN FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICAN HONORS: Freshman sluggers Josh Pyne, Carter Mathison and Brock Tibbitts earned freshman All-American accolades from College Baseball Newspaper, setting an Indiana baseball program record. Indiana joined Oregon State, Tennessee and UCLA as one of four programs with three or more athletes to make the list. CLICK HERE
• BREHMER NAMED TO BIG TEN ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: Indiana baseball's Bradley Brehmer was named to the Big Ten All-Tournament Team after tossing a complete game in the Hoosiers' 8-1 win over the Illinois Fighting Illini. Brehmer becomes the first Indiana pitcher to earn all-tournament honors since Christian Morris in 2014. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA'S RECORD-SETTING CINDERELLA RUN FALLS SHORT IN SEMIFINALS: Indiana became the first No. 8 seed to defeat a No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, but the Cinderella run ended around 3 a.m. Sunday morning with a 14-2 loss to Rutgers. The Hoosiers are the second team in Big Ten history to strike out over 600 batters in a season, and set the Big Ten Tournament single-game record at 18 strikeouts. CLICK HERE