Philadelphia Phillies: Setting expectations high for Kyle Schwarber

The Philadelphia Phillies will enter the 2022 season with at least one new big, hefty bat in their lineup. It’s the one belonging to slugger Kyle Schwarber.

Well-known across the baseball world for several years now, the DH spot in the National League opened up a lot of new opportunities for him. Schwarber may not have been as much of a fit for the Phillies otherwise. While he can play some left field, he should see most of his at-bats coming as a DH.

Expectations are high for him this year and in the seasons to follow. At a freshly-turned-29, he should be in his prime right now. What can we expect from him?

Let’s raise the bar real high for new Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber.

Dingers and lots of them. That’s what we want out of Schwarber. Will we get it?

In 2019, Schwarber hit 38 of them in 610 trips to the plate. Last season, he knocked 32 in only 471 plate appearances. He crushed his way to a .554 slugging percentage in only 113 games played. Had he been able to stay healthy, he could have hit the benchmark I’m going to set for him: 40.

Yes, expect Schwarber to hit 40 home runs for the Phillies this year. Demand it! It’s a must. Defensive limitations means he has to make up for it somehow. His first 40 home run season is the way to do it. He doesn’t need to drive in 100 or score 100 times. Schwarber just needs to deposit a lot of souvenirs into the stands everywhere he plays.

What we should expect from Schwarber is a Greg Luzinski/Pat Burrell performance. I want to see him pick up right where he left off with his .266/.374/.554 slash line in 2021. I can accept less, though. Schwarber doesn’t need to pack on empty singles. He needs to hit the ball a long way in big situations.

Last year was an outlier for his career so keep this in mind. Lifetime, he has been a .237/.343/.493 hitter. His 162 game average includes 37 home runs and 85 RBI, so to ask him for 40 dongs isn’t so crazy. We just need to keep him healthy.

Sign me up for the Washington Nationals version of Schwarber instead. During his stint with them, prior to getting traded to the Boston Red Sox, Schwarber slashed a still incredibly strong .253/.340/.570. The average and OBP wasn’t what it was in Boston (.291 and .435), but we can make due if the power numbers are there. He had 25 home runs in only 72 games. I’m not asking him to double it. I just want a nice handful more. The Philadelphia Phillies are going to need it.