Why Kyle Schwarber has a ‘good chance’ to stay elite throughout $150M Phillies deal originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Philadelphia Phillies have one of the most fun sluggers in all of Major League Baseball in Kyle Schwarber, clobbering homers for them this season.
Even though he has not played in the series against the Cincinnati Reds, he’s still hit 20 homers on the year and looks to be the best power-hitter in baseball in 2026.
But can the 33-year-old continue to be this great throughout the duration of his $150 million, five-year deal with the Phillies? ESPN’s David Schoenfield made the case for why Schwarber can do so using three reasons.
Three reasons why Kyle Schwarber can stay elite throughout $150M deal
“Schwarber still has elite bat speed: a 97th percentile ranking this season. He knows the strike zone. We’ve seen Schwarber-types have long careers: Jim Thome played until he was 41 years old; Reggie Jackson, still the career leader in strikeouts, also played until he was 41; and Nelson Cruz, a pure DH the final seven years of his career, lasted to age 42,” Schoenfield writes. “There’s a good chance that Schwarber remains productive through the life of this contract.”
The beloved Phillies designated hitter is one of the most fun watches in baseball, as he has some of the best power in the sport and can launch some of the longest homers in the big leagues.
Schwarber is 33 years old, and it’s fair to question how much longer this elite power production can continue. But if he doesn’t lose his elite bat speed, and he can still command the strike zone, there’s no reason why he can’t keep slugging.
On May 20th of the 2026 MLB season, Schwarber has 360 career homers. With four more full seasons under contract with the Phillies, at $30 million a year, along with the rest of 2026, it’s very possible to reach 500 homers in his career.
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That would be a great benchmark for whether he can maintain his elite power numbers. If he could reach 500 homers for his career, it would mean he has at least 32 homers each of the next five seasons.
Such an HR total is very possible for Schwarber, especially since he’s already posted 20 of the 32 he needs this season before May 18th.
While there will always be questions every year about whether Schwarber can continue to be such an elite slugger, his elite bat speed, great knowledge of the strike zone, and the many other sluggers who played into their 40s, fans should believe in Schwarber.
Schoenfield’s points are great ones, and are reason to believe Schwarber can join some of the best power hitters in MLB history, possibly even reach 500 homers or more before his Phillies contract is up in 2030.
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