D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports
Is It Time for Philadelphia Phillies to Bench Schwarber?
A few different words could describe the Philadelphia Phillies offense: stale, boring, sputtering.
They are not the Phillies of the 2022 World Series club.
Currently, the Phils are below .500 with a 20-23 record and 6.5 games back of the division-leading Atlanta Braves. They've lost five of their last 10 games.
But there are problems among the offense and one of them is named Kyle Schwarber.
There's been a lot of curiosity about why manager Rob Thompson put Schwarber in the leadoff spot for a four-game stretch at the beginning of May. He's part of the reason for why the Phillies sputter at the plate.
But when you look back, Schwarber isn't a leadoff guy. Usually, they're short speedy contact hitters. They're meant to reach base to start rallies and make room for the power hitter.
Schwarber is 6'0" and 229 pounds: that's not the build of a leadoff guy. He's a slugger. That's what he does. Last season, he lead the National League in homers.
Again, not a leadoff guy.
And how well did that four-game stretch in the leadoff spot go? Not well: Schwarber went 0-for-19 at the top of the order with seven strikeouts and no walks. His batting average dropped to an awful .183.
Since that abysmal outing, he's been hitting after their cleanup batter in the five-hole for the past six games. This includes the team's recent sweep by the San Francisco Giants.
Things are....better when he's at the plate. In the last seven games, he's slashed .125/.300/.375 with two home runs and three RBIs. The batting average is lower than anyone would like but with a power guy like Schwarber, that's expected.
He still strikes out a lot. Just 43 games in, he's already at a quarter of last year's 200, sitting now at 54.
But where Schwarber's performance at the plate leaves a lot to be desired, his fielding is also part of the problem.
Left field is not the place for him.
He's full-time in the outfield as they await the full return of Bryce Harper. But he's incredibly slow and has missed some key opportunities (read: Red Sox series in Philly) to end important innings.
A perfect example is May 5 against the Boston Red Sox at home. First batter was Boston's Raimel Tapia. He hit a fly ball in between Schwarber in left and Dalton Guthrie in center.
Schwarber thought they'd collide and stopped short. The ball went off his glove and Tapia got to second on an error. Where does that equal a reliable man in the position?
Philadelphia is going to need someone more reliable than Schwarber. There aren't many options for who else to put in. Jake Cave? Cristian Pache? They can't fill Schwarber's spot in the lineup but they might do better in left field.
It could be in Thompson's best interest to maybe have a talk with Schwarber and just for a game or two, let him watch.
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