Phillies' Kyle Schwarber Claims National League Home Run Crown
For the first time since Ryan Howard in 2008, the Philadelphia Phillies have a National League home run champion.
Kyle Schwarber took home the crown this season, leading the NL with 46 home runs. He managed the second-most in baseball, behind only American League record-breaker Aaron Judge, who hit a whopping 62. The next hitter closest to Schwarber was New York Mets' first baseman Pete Alonso, who slugged 40 long balls in 2022.
In his first at-bat of the 2022 MLB season and plate appearance in red pinstripes, Schwarber launched a leadoff home run off of then-Athletics ace Frankie Montas. Little did Phillies fans know what that would portend for their clubhouse-leading slugger, as he claimed the home run crown 162 games later.
Schwarber mustered a truly superb premiere season for the Phillies. His peripheral statistics scream sustainability, and his surface-level numbers will only rise with the banning of the shift in 2023.
Year one of the 29-year-old's four-year contract was a success. May there be many more years of "Schwarbombs" to come.
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