Apr 30, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Kyle Schwarber (12) hits a three eRBI home run against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Bill Streicher
Typically when a player is 32 years old, you start to brace for some sort of decline.
But after watching Kyle Schwarber crush two home runs in a Sunday Night Baseball victory over the Cleveland Guardians, you were left with the distinct feeling that even in his 11th season, he's going in the other direction.
Schwarber is tied with Aaron Judge for the league lead in home runs at 14. He's walked 29 times already, which is tied for sixth in baseball. Only five players have more than the 32 RBIs he's posted. And his .998 trails only Judge, Shohei Ohtani and Pete Alonso, pretty good company to be in.
So is Schwarber, who turned 32 in March, actually getting better? Rob Thomson thinks so.
"Yes, it does," Thomson said when asked Monday afternoon if it feels like Schwarber is getting better. "Even since he's been here, especially last year when he kind of changed his approach and thought more about left-center field. He's really been solid."
Q from @TimKellySports: Does it feel like Kyle Schwarber is getting better?
Rob Thomson, without hesitation: Yes, it does. pic.twitter.com/2xYOaJbfnS
Schwarber joined the Phillies on a four-year/$79 million contract ahead of the 2022 season, a pact that's turned out to be one of the most team-friendly deals in MLB history. He delivered an immediate impact, homering 93 times with 198 RBIs, 212 walks and an .822 OPS between 2022 and 2023.
However, Schwarber became something of a lightning rod between old and new-school baseball fans because he came to exemplify the three-true-outcomes approach — home run, walk or strikeout — during his first pair of seasons in red pinstripes.
Not content, Schwarber made a greater emphasis on making contact heading into the 2024 season. It's worked, as after hitting .207 in his first two seasons with the Phillies, Schwarber has hit .252 since the beginning of the 2024 campaign. What's amazing is that he's done so while continuing to be one of baseball's elite run producers.
Kyle Schwarber, man 💣 pic.twitter.com/yY9zde8DMu
As long as Schwarber was clubbing 40 home runs a year, or thereabouts, he could have gotten away with hitting around the Mendoza Line. What does it say about him that he wasn't comfortable being that player?
"It tells me that he cares about getting better and helping his team and winning games," Thomson said. "That's what it's all about."
The show will roll on Monday against the Cardinals, as Schwarber will take his 46-game on-base streak into play at Citizens Bank Park. The only players in franchise history with longer on-base streaks are Mike Schmidt (56), Chuck Klein (49) and Bobby Abreu (48). The way he's going right now, it would hardly be shocking to see Schwarber challenge Schmidt.
And as Schwarber performs like one of the best offensive players in baseball — one that still seems to be ascending — it's becoming extremely difficult to argue against giving him a lucrative three or four-year deal after this season.
