Kyle Schwarber endeared himself to Philadelphia Phillies fans very early into his Phillies tenure. He led the National League with 46 home runs in 2022 and hit many memorable bombs en route to the World Series, including this 488-foot moonshot off the San Diego Padres' Yu Darvish in the NLCS.
Signing a four-year, $79 million contract ahead of that magical 2022 season, Schwarber has enjoyed by far his best major league success in Philadelphia. Statistically, Schwarber has racked up 135 home runs and 310 RBIs, both highs among the four teams he's played on.
This year, he figures to pass 551 games played with Philadelphia, surpassing his total with the Chicago Cubs. The Phillies front office and fans alike hope to increase that number even further by extending Schwarber this offseason, which should be a top priority for the franchise.
This has become even more evident by Schwarber's early performance in 2025, which his manager attributes to a certain approach the DH is taking at the plate.
Rob Thomson hints at this reason for Kyle Schwarber's red-hot start
Through the Phillies' first eight games of the 2025 season, Schwarber has been responsible for a lot of the team's offensive production. Heading into Sunday’s action, he leads all qualified hitters on the team in home runs, RBIs, slugging, and OPS. Of his four home runs, three have been with runners on base.
The lone solo shot was his longest. His 444-foot blast in the series finale against the Colorado Rockies helped his team to a 3-1 victory and a series sweep.
SCHWEET pic.twitter.com/cxb3GniH7h
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) April 3, 2025
Schwarber has often come through with timely hits in the Phillies' 5-1 start to the season, and it seems as though he will continue to produce regardless of where he hits in the lineup.
After setting an MLB record with 15 leadoff home runs last year, it seemed as if Schwarber would be a lock to be the team's everyday leadoff hitter in 2025. After all, he has hit the eighth-most leadoff homers (46) in MLB history, 33 of which are with the Phillies.
However, Phillies manager Rob Thomson revealed that the early-season plan is to bat Trea Turner leadoff versus lefty starters, with Schwarber doing so against right-handers, per Ty Daubert of Phillies Nation. Schwarber has also delivered in the cleanup spot so far, and Thomson explained how the slugger's approach has been a large reason for his success.
"I think he's taking the same approach as he did last year," Thomson told the media after Wednesday's win. "Thinking left-center, and when they come in on him, he just turns on it, he just trusts himself to be able to get there to the inside pitches."
Rob Thomson said a big key to Kyle Schwarber’s early success is thinking left-center, rather than just trying to pull everything.
— Luke Arcaini (@ArcainiLuke) April 3, 2025
Schwarber is hitting .308 with 4 homers and a 1.165 OPS through his first six games of 2025. pic.twitter.com/bpNSmoheij
Schwarber is looking to use the entire field, which is huge reason for his average being higher than normal to start the season. His 2024 batting average of .248 was a large increase from .197 in 2023. He already gets on base a high amount due to always being near the top of the league in walks, with a league-leading 106 walks last year.
But if Schwarber can hover around the .260 mark for the entire season, it would add another solid aspect to his game that would contribute greatly towards the Phillies' success in 2025. The team hopes to once again succeed in the playoffs, where Schwarber is no stranger to success. Schwarber is the Phillies' most consistent slugger since Ryan Howard, and his effortless power makes his at-bats must-see TV, especially when he is this locked in.
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