Kyle Schwarber’s bat has started to wake up at exactly the right moment for the Phillies.
Philadelphia has spent much of the second half searching for steadier offense, and Schwarber has been part of that problem at times. His long homerless stretch finally ended on Aug. 9 against the Toronto Blue Jays, when he launched two home runs. Since then, he has looked more like the impact slugger the Phillies need him to be.
That showed up again in the Field of Dreams game against the Minnesota Twins. Schwarber opened the scoring with a leadoff homer off Taj Bradley, sending the ball into the cornfields beyond the fence. Later, in his third at-bat, he struck again with a two-run shot off Bradley.
For Schwarber, the setting made the performance even more memorable.
"You might not ever get to play another big league baseball game here, so to be able to have that experience, it's a unique thing for you and it's something you're going to bring up to your kids," Schwarber said, via the Associated Press on ESPN. "We're going to watch that movie together with my kids one day and be able to say, 'Hey, dad got to play there,' or, 'See that house in this movie?
I got to see it.' So it'll be really cool."
When Schwarber gets rolling, there may not be many more dangerous power bats in baseball. He can turn a good night into a crooked number in a hurry, and that’s what happened here.
He now leads the majors with 37 home runs, a strong number even with the 17-game homer drought he endured in the second half. The Phillies are hoping that kind of dry spell stays in the rearview mirror, because they need his power production to keep coming from the top of the lineup.
Schwarber still hasn’t hit his personal target of trimming down the strikeouts, and his 177 lead the MLB. But there are some encouraging signs in the broader line: his .250 batting average is his best since 2021, and his .371 on-base percentage is also his best since that season.
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That has pushed the conversation beyond simple short-term fixes and into more pointed ideas about roles and usage. Among the suggestions floating around are a tougher look at Alec Bohms place in the lineup, more steady playing time for Derek Hill, a move for Luis Arraez into the leadoff spot, a reduced workload for Jos Alvarado, and a chance for Alex McFarlane to get more opportunities. None of that is a decision yet, but with the standings tightening and time slipping away, the Phillies are running out of room to keep things the same. [Read more 🡒]