After finishing slightly above .500 in 2019, there’s mixed expectations for the Cubs in 2020. The risk-reward factor always comes into play for fantasy baseball players. Luckily Sports Illustrated’s fantasy baseball analyst Shawn Childs identifies the players that have plenty of reward and very little risk. Childs calls outfielder Kyle Schwarber a breakout candidate and considering his Average Draft Position is around 140, he carries very little risk. As for a sleeper from the Cubs, Childs lists outfielder Ian Happ as a prime candidate to offer tremendous value. The Cubs also have a potential prime comeback player in relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel thanks to his potential of a sub 2.50 ERA. 

Check out the attached video for more of Childs analysis and read the transcript for more on his conversation:

Bill Enright: Sports Illustrated's fantasy baseball coverage continues as we take a look at the Chicago Cubs. Here with me to discuss, Ben Heisler and Shawn Childs, two of our fantasy baseball analysts. Shawn, I'm going to go to you first. Let's talk about outfielder Kyle Schwarber, who you called a breakout candidate for 2020.

Shawn Childs: I'm really excited about him, especially with the NL using the DH this year. Prior to last year, he got pulled against lefties and probably saw action probably two thirds of the time. And then even in the seventh, eighth inning he would get pull for defensive purposes. So this year he'll get a chance to play a little more full games. And even last year he set a career high in games played 155. But he's a guy with a tremendous average hit rate over the last three years combined. His contact batting average is rising up. And I really hope that the Chicago hits him batting cleanup because he's going to eat. With a full season, I think he would have a chance at hitting 40 home runs with 100 RBI. He will take walks and his strikeout rates improved last year. I'd like to see him make some more progress to possibly reach more growth in his batting average, which he showcased in the minors. But he's a guy who looks poised to make a push forward this year.

Bill Enright: Ben, I know you're a Cubs fan, born and raised in the Chicago area. Talk to me about Ian Happ.

Ben Heisler: So Ian Happ is a fascinating story, a guy that was the number one draft pick for them out of Cincinnati, and he came up with pretty high expectations. The strikeout rate was a little bit too high. He wasn't taking enough pitches, but with his skill set, you know, he went to Triple A, he worked on a lot of the things that they asked him to do, and he came up and had a pretty nice September, even though it was a disappointing year. I kind of look at him if they can get him fully developed as another Ben Zobrist type. He can play center, he can play all parts of the infield. And I think especially as a leadoff hitter were Zobrist was really in particular successful for them, with that walk rate going up, I think Ian Happ is in a really nice spot to be a breakout player this year. He'll see some pitches and I think he really makes a difference at the top of the lineup for them. If he starts to be able to be patient.

Bill Enright: Shawn, let's go back to you. You say that Craig Kimbrel is a potential bounceback candidate for 2020.

Shawn Childs: He's discounted in drafts for sure. You know, he's been a top reliever, especially with Boston. He pitched really well for three years, helped them win a championship. But last year, he didn't sign for the first two months just because of the rules in baseball. He held out and finally signed with Chicago, but he wasn't ready when he signed, and so he had to take a few weeks to get ready. But when he came back, he pitched OK. But then he battled a couple of injuries and ended up a really disappointing season and really a lost season. His fastball lost a little bit of velocity. But overall, you know, he has a long resume of success. He will get saves. It's just a matter of him throwing enough strikes, you know, to lower his walk rate to be an impact player. So I think he's a player that will bounce back and he kind of gets overlooked this year. I like him to be a top reliever again in 2020. 

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