CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Kyle Schwarber recently did the most difficult thing he said he’s done in sports.
He took a swing on hole No. 16 at TPC Scottsdale during the PGA Tour’s WM Phoenix Open pro-am.
“You’re used to going out to a golf course and it’s wide open,” Schwarber said Saturday morning at BayCare Ballpark. “Next thing you know, there’s thousands of people standing 180 yards away. I could actually hurt someone. And I almost did. … It’s really cool to see the pros hit the ball, and how consistent they are. I’m like, ‘How do you guys do that?’ They go, ‘How do you hit a baseball in front of 40,000?' I go, ‘Good point.’”
Superstar athletes Michael Jordan, Deion Sanders and Bo Jackson have said hitting a baseball is the most difficult thing to do in sports. It says something, then, that Schwarber has been one of the game’s elite power hitters the past few years. He has hit 131 home runs with 302 RBIs in three seasons with the Phillies, who signed him to a four-year, $79 million contract before the 2022 season.
Only Aaron Judge (157) and Shohei Ohtani (132) have homered more during that three-year stretch.
There’s no reason to think Schwarber won’t continue hitting homers for the Phillies in 2025. But what about 2026 and beyond? He will be a free agent following this season, just like longtime teammates J.T. Realmuto and Ranger Suárez.
Schwarber said he wants to stay in Philly.
“We’ll see,” he said. “I know there’s interest on our side. We’ll see what happens throughout this camp, if they approach us and we get deeper and deeper into discussion. … The best line I’ve ever heard on that is from Jon Lester -- the best way to get paid is to win -- so I’ll just focus on that. It’s what I’ve always focused on.”
The Phillies have come close in recent years. They lost in six games to the Astros in the 2022 World Series, they lost in seven games to the Diamondbacks in the 2023 NLCS and they lost in four games to the Mets in the 2024 NLDS.
They have a chance to win again in 2025, although they did not have an offseason like the Dodgers (who made significant upgrades to a World Series championship roster) or the Mets (who signed Juan Soto). Comparatively, the Phillies added along the edges, acquiring Jesús Luzardo, Max Kepler, Jordan Romano and Joe Ross.
“I feel like the pickups we’ve made have been quality,” Schwarber said. “And obviously we lost some quality people, but at the end of the day, it’s going to come down to us. We know that we have a good team.
“We’ve had about the same core of players for the last, going on Year 3, Year 4, so we know what we have. I don’t think there’s any shock and I don’t think we’re going to shock anyone else. Everyone knows the lineup and everyone knows the pitchers’ names and the guys in the bullpen. It’s just going to come down to us to figure out a way to get to where we want to be.”
But it doesn’t mean everything will be status quo. Schwarber has been the Phillies’ leadoff hitter the past three years, but he could hit fourth this year, which would provide more protection for Bryce Harper.
Harper could hit second.
“Wherever my name gets written, that’s where I’m going to hit,” Schwarber said. “I’m player No. 12. I’m not a manager, I’m not a coach. I get paid to play baseball for these guys, so wherever my name gets written, I’ll play.
“I want to win. I just want to win the World Series, and wherever we think our best lineup needs to go to continually win baseball games, that’s what I’ll do. I really don’t have a personal attachment to where I hit.”
Schwarber started 144 games at DH last year. He started five in left field. But he was on the half-field at BayCare last week, working with infield coach Bobby Dickerson. The Phillies would like to see if Schwarber can play first base to get Harper off his feet, if needed.
Schwarber is willing to try anything to win.
“We’re trying to find a way to get where we want to be,” he said. “Everyone is ready to rock and roll.”