A decade after being drafted by the Chicago Cubs, Kyle Schwarber is experiencing a standout season with the Philadelphia Phillies. At 32, Schwarber is setting personal records in slugging percentage, OPS+, and runs batted in. With one month left in the regular season, he is close to surpassing his previous best of 47 home runs from two years ago.
Schwarber may soon become only the second player in Phillies history to reach 50 home runs in a single season. Only 13 players have hit more total home runs for the franchise, despite Schwarber joining just four seasons ago. He also holds the distinction of being the only player to hit at least 38 home runs in each of his first four seasons with any team.
The contract Schwarber signed with Philadelphia before the 2022 season has proven successful for both him and the club. His contributions are helping keep the Phillies at the top of their division.
This year, Schwarber has achieved something not seen since Aaron Judge entered Major League Baseball: he leads all players in hard-hit rate, surpassing Judge’s dominance that began in 2017. Since then, Judge had led every full MLB season until now.
While Judge has been affected by an elbow injury this year, he remains a contender for American League MVP and ranks fifth in hard-hit rate. The shift is less about Judge’s decline than about Schwarber’s improvement; Schwarber’s hard-hit rate increased from 49% two years ago to nearly 61% this season.
According to metrics cited by MLB.com, hitting balls harder correlates directly with higher batting averages and slugging percentages. Six out of every ten balls that leave Schwarber’s bat exceed 95 mph this year.
Schwarber already had power credentials with seven seasons reaching at least 30 home runs. This campaign stands out: among approximately 2,000 player-seasons since 2015 with at least 400 plate appearances, his current hard-hit rate ranks sixth-best overall—trailing only several seasons by Judge and one by Miguel Sanó.
He is also striking out less frequently than he has since his last strong season with Chicago in 2019.
“What’s different this year?” asks MLB.com. “It’s not bat speed… It’s not even really about lefty pitching… It’s not about chasing less… or trying to pull it in the air more…”
Instead, much of Schwarber’s improvement comes from handling fastballs—especially four-seamers—with greater success than any other batter against any pitch type this year. His run value against four-seam fastballs far exceeds other hitters; Juan Soto trails significantly behind him.
Against pitches other than four-seamers, his slugging percentage increased minimally from last year. But against four-seamers specifically, he’s added an impressive 260 points to his slugging percentage—posting one of the best results since pitch tracking began in 2008.
“Schwarber isn’t just having a good year,” writes MLB.com. “He’s having a great year… It’s a big part of why he’s mashing so much – and why the Phillies are in first place.”
