2. Kyle Schwarber
Reuniting Kyle Schwarber with the hitting coach who remade him would be an offensive dream come true for the Phillies. They’ve already hired Kevin Long, so now they just need Schwarber.
For one thing, Schwarber is an endorsement of what Long can and will hopefully do for the Phillies’ anemic offense (Harper excluded). He posted career-highs in batting average, on-base, slugging, OPS, OPS+, and didn’t come close to his worst year by strikeouts.
Schwarber’s 32 home runs was the second-most of his career, but more impressive considering it only took him 113 games to hit them. Between June 12-29, he hit an astounding 16 home runs in 18 games, with 27 RBI and 20 runs scored.
Traditionally a left-fielder, Schwarber also learned first base when the Red Sox acquired him, so he’s added some defensive versatility to his resumé. He’s also got extensive postseason experience, including a mammoth grand slam off the Houston Astros in this year’s ALCS.