Frank Schwindel
Frank J. Schwindel (born June 29, 1992), nicknamed "The Tank", is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Kansas City Royals and Oakland Athletics. Amateur career. Schwindel attended Livingston High School in Livingston, New Jersey. He attended St. John's University and played college baseball for the St. John's Red Storm from 2011 to 2013. During college, he also played for the Riverhead Tomcats of the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League in 2011, and the Keene Swamp Bats of the New England Collegiate  Baseball League in 2012. The Kansas City Royals selected Schwindel in the 18th round of the 2013 MLB draft. Professional career. Kansas City Royals. Schwindel played for the Idaho Falls Chukars in his debut season of 2013, producing a line of .300/.336/.431/.767 with 6 home runs and 42 RBI in 64 games. He played for the Lexington Legends and the Wilmington Blue Rocks in 2014, combining to hit .280/.309/.500/.809 with 22 home runs and 75 RBI in 118 games. In 2015, he played for Wilmington and the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, he combined to hit .252/.281/.383/.664 with 7 home runs and  54 RBI in 123 games. He spent the entire 2016 season with Arkansas, hitting 270/.301/.446/.747 with 20 home runs and 68 RBI in 120 games. He split the 2017 season between Arkansas and the Omaha Storm Chasers, combining to hit .329/.349/.541/.890 with 23 home runs and 97 RBI in 133 games. His 2018 was spent with Omaha, hitting .286/.336/.506/.842 with 24 home runs and 93 RBI in 134 games. Schwindel appeared in the Triple-A All-Star Game in 2018. Schwindel received a non-roster invitation to 2019 major-league spring training. He was named to the Royals' Opening Day  roster. On May 14, 2019, after collecting just one hit in 15 at-bats (an .067 average), he was designated for assignment. He was released on May 18, 2019. Detroit Tigers. On May 28, 2019, Schwindel signed a minor league deal with the Detroit Tigers. Schwindel split the remainder of the season between the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens, the Double-A Erie SeaWolves, and the High-A Lakeland Flying Tigers. He re-signed with the Tigers on a new minor league contract after becoming a minor league free agent on November 7, 2019. Schwindel did not play in a  game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He became a free agent on November 2, 2020. Oakland Athletics. On November 18, 2020, Schwindel signed a minor league contract with the Oakland Athletics organization. On June 29, 2021, Schwindel was selected to the active roster. On June 30, Schwindel hit his first career home run in his first at-bat with Oakland against Kolby Allard of the Texas Rangers. With the hit, Schwindel became the first Athletics player since Terry Steinbach in 1986 to hit a home run in his first  at-bat with the team. Schwindel went 3-for-20 (.150) in eight games with Oakland before being designated for assignment on July 16. Chicago Cubs. On July 18, 2021, the Chicago Cubs claimed Schwindel off waivers and optioned him to the Triple-A Iowa Cubs. The Cubs promoted Schwindel to the major leagues on July 30, after they traded Anthony Rizzo. Schwindel hit .344 with six home runs, 18 RBIs, a .394 on-base with a .635 slugging and a 1.030 OPS in August, and won the National League Rookie of the Month Award. On September 5, Schwindel hit a  go-ahead grand slam that put the Cubs up to stay in an 11-8 win over the Pirates. His grand slam was the third go-ahead grand slam in the game, tying a Major League record. Two days later, he was named the NL Player of the Week for the week of August 30 to September 5. In his first full major league season, between Oakland and Chicago, Schwindel batted .326 with 14 home runs and 43 RBIs, which despite only playing in 64 games was good enough to earn him two votes in National League Rookie of the  Year voting, tying him for sixth place with Tyler Stephenson. Personal life. Schwindel and his wife, Katherine, welcomed their first child, a son, in January 2021.