As Kyle Schwarber ascended through the Cubs’ minor league system, his raw power had fantasy baseball owners salivating in anticipation of an imminent call-up. In 2014, he destroyed pitching in the lower levels and put on a such an impressive show at Double-A the following season, the club fast-tracked him through Triple-A, en route to a big-league debut in which he mashed 16 home runs over just 273 plate appearances. Even more tantalizing than his power was that Schwarber was a catcher and fantasy owners had visions of a 30-plus home run backstop dancing through their heads. Unfortunately, they sold themselves a bill of goods.

Blinded by the promise of immense power from the catcher position, fantasy owners ignored the flaws in the rest of Schwarber’s game. His strikeout rate increased with each promotion and it quickly became evident he was nothing more than a sink-or-swim masher. He could hit 30 home runs, but he was destined to bat .215 while doing so. He also lacked the defensive skills to be a big-league catcher and the Cubs were already planning to move him to the outfield. That catcher eligibility would be intact for his first season, but beyond that, it seemed unlikely. Or so we thought.

The myth of Schwarber being a reliable fantasy catcher was perpetuated when an unprecedented decision by one of the premier fantasy sites granted him an “injury exemption” which allowed him to retain his catcher-eligibility for 2017. He appeared as an outfielder twice before tearing his ACL in 2016, but for some inexplicable reason, a do-over was granted. That, coupled with his dramatic return for the World Series, only fueled the hype and continued to blind fantasy owners from his flaws.

Fast-forward to today and the fantasy karma circle is complete. Those who thought they were being slick drafted him as their catcher in the early rounds and sadly watched him struggle at the plate. His 12 home runs lost value as they came with a 30-percent strikeout rate, a .168 batting average and a demotion to the minors.

He has since returned from his two-week banishment, going just 1-for-7 with two strikeouts in his first two games, and his outlook for the rest of the season remains bleak. Schwarber’s power potential has come at a steep price and those who paid have quickly learned the juice just wasn’t worth the squeeze.

**originally published in the New York Post 7/8/17