A former Boston Red Sox All-Star is having a monstrous year for the Philadelphia Phillies.
But will he win the National League home run title?
It’s a question that two ESPN MLB insiders — Jesse Rogers and Buster Olney — answered affirmatively on Monday.
“(Kyle) Schwarber will win the home run title, hitting 56 this season,” Rogers said.
Schwarber had 45 home runs entering Monday, tied with Los Angeles Dodgers megastar Shohei Ohtani for the NL lead.
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“(Schwarber) has historically slugged well in September and this year will be no exception,” Rogers continued. “In his career, he has produced his second-highest slugging percentage (.521) in September, trailing only June. Ohtani is also good late in the year, but this is turning into a very special season for the Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter. He’s slugging .577 against left-handed pitching, which will translate into a couple more homers off lefties in September and be the difference in the home run race.”
Olney seconded Rogers’ forecast, albeit with a slight revision.
“Schwarber will win the title, but he’ll reach 59,” Olney said. “He has figured out how to hit left-handers — stand in the box, take the HBPs and square up everything — and has absurdly even splits, with a .946 OPS against right-handers and .943 against lefties. And as strong as he has been this season, he’s just getting warmed up, with 20 homers in his past 45 games.”
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Schwarber is practically on his way to becoming a Phillies icon if he keeps up this production, but, of course, he did briefly don a Red Sox uniform before signing a four-year, $79 million contract with Philadelphia in March 2022.
The Red Sox acquired Schwarber from the Washington Nationals at the 2021 MLB trade deadline, and Schwarber ended up hitting .291 with seven homers and 18 RBIs for the Red Sox in 41 regular season games. He also hit a memorable grand slam against the Houston Astros in Game 3 of the ALCS that year.
These days, Schwarber is having the best year of his career, which has come just as he’s on the verge of free agency. Some have speculated that the Red Sox could even seek a reunion with Schwarber this offseason.
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The Phillies will presumably do everything in their power to keep Schwarber in Philadelphia.