The Philadelphia Phillies have been well-represented in pre-season lists for best players at certain positions. While the accolades are nothing more than speculative, it's hard to disagree with where baseball insiders have ranked Phillies stars like Zack Wheeler and Bryce Harper as they're considered among the best players in baseball.
There's no question these types of rankings get it wrong from time to time. MLB.com recently ranked the hitters most likely to hit the most home runs in 2024, and a certain Phillies slugger is shockingly omitted from the list. Have MLB writers forgotten that Kyle Schwarber hits a lot of home runs?
The 2024 HR leader will be _____ and hit _____ homers. pic.twitter.com/zXjQaII9Ja
— MLB (@MLB) February 23, 2024
It's hard to disagree with MLB.com's top five for this list. Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Ronald Acuña Jr., Matt Olson, and Adolis García are all elite sluggers who belong on this list. But how can you not have Kyle Schwarber ranked at all?
Kyle Schwarber finished second in MLB in home runs in 2023
Schwarber had another monster year in the power department last season. His 47 home runs ranked second in all of Major League Baseball behind Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson. Schwarber hit 46 home runs in 2022 and has hit 93 home runs over the last two seasons. So what gives?
Even when you look at who MLB.com writers have as dark horse candidates to win the home run crown, does anyone expect Spencer Torkelson or Christopher Morel to hit more home runs than Schwarber? Is MLB trolling readers?
A solid argument can be made that Schwarber will reach or exceed his power numbers from the last two seasons in 2024. Penciled in to be the Phillies' full-time designated hitter this season, Schwarber will have more time to concentrate on his hitting, and the lack of time in the field will surely benefit him as he won't have as much wear and tear on his body.
It's clear that MLB.com insiders are turned off by some of Schwarber's other offensive numbers, most notably a rough .197 batting average and a MLB-leading 215 strikeouts in 2023. Perhaps they are looking for Schwarber to decline further, but while the slugger is an enigma as a hitter, little evidence suggests that Schwarber won't go yard with regularity in 2024.
There's little doubt that we will witness a lot of Schwarbombs this season. With other sluggers like Pete Alonso and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. not mentioned either, it's hard not to view these rankings as anything but suspect.