Kevin Long bullish on free-agent slugger, ‘would fit the Phillies’

Hitting coach Kevin Long seems to want Kyle Schwarber on the 2022 Phillies.

Given the Philadelphia Phillies opted not to bring back outfielder Andrew McCutchen on his $15 million team option for the 2022 season, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and fellow front office members are in search of a replacement for the fan-favorite and former Most Valuable Player Award winner.

One MLB Network analyst recently suggested that the Phillies could sign a longtime Los Angeles Dodgers star who can also play the infield, but perhaps there is a more likely signing that involves a reunion with newly hired hitting coach Kevin Long.

When asked on the national network whether free-agent slugger Kyle Schwarber, whom Long coached this past season with the Washington Nationals before he was traded to the Boston Red Sox — would be a fit for the Phillies, Long agreed:

“I do think he would fit the Phillies. I am a Kyle Schwarber fan. I think the world of this guy. Baseball junkie, baseball rat, loves to talk baseball, and loves to talk hitting.”

Schwarber was a Chicago Cubs star who donned their uniform between the 2015 and 2020 seasons, including the team’s long-awaited 2016 World Series championship. In his final year in the Windy City, the Ohio native slashed just .188/.308/.393. Then everything turned around come 2021, in part thanks to Long.

Schwarber’s OPS jumped from .701 in 2020 to .928 in 2021. In 113 games, the seven-year veteran slugged 32 home runs and 71 RBI. Schwarber had 25 home runs and 53 RBI in just 72 games with the division-rival Nationals before the July trade.

Long describes how he helped Schwarber’s turn-around:

“There were just some things that I thought he could do better. When we addressed it in the offseason, we attacked it pretty firmly. I thought he got really upright in his stance. I thought he started creating a lot of forward movement. He wasn’t staying behind the ball well. He was pretty much long to contact, as I would explain it. I thought there was a lot more in the tank, and we started addressing those issues. Midway through the first half, he caught fire.Davey inserted him into the leadoff spot, and he went crazy. It was to the point where guys didn’t want to miss the first pitch of the game because they thought he might go deep. And he was doing it; every single day, it seemed like he was hitting a home run.”

Long went on to say Schwarber is a “remarkable player,” a “great clubhouse guy” and someone who you want on your team, adding: “When he started putting together those offensive numbers, he became one of the best players in the league.”

The Phillies will have a healthy Rhys Hoskins back in their everyday lineup in 2022, but there is some power production lost with the subtraction of McCutchen. Centerfield is another glaring hole the team needs to address, but Schwarber just might be the right fit to play in the opposite corner outfield position of 2021 National League MVP, Bryce Harper.