I’m Having a Hard Time Assessing Kyle Schwarber’s 2023 Season
Was he good or not this year?
This would be a straightforward answer if I just looked at his batting line. He batted under .200 (.197) for the first time in a full season (he also batted .188 in the COVID-shortened 2020 season) in his career. Sure, he was second in the league with 47 home runs and had both 108 runs scored and 104 runs batted in, so those are the big positives to support his case for a good season despite his low batting average.
His OPS+ is a decent 122, which is just over his career average of 121, suggesting that he’s still batting over the league average batter. Also, his team is in the postseason and is going up against a very good Atlanta Braves team in the Divisional Round. Maybe, he’s had a huge part in that. There are other things to consider, though, than an explosive offensive production and being in the postseason.
I feel like an above-average OPS is only one piece of the puzzle here. He also struck out a league-leading 215 times. He also led all left fielders with errors committed with five. In fact, his defense is the big question mark in the case to make for him for a good season.
If you simply look at his WAR (Wins Above Replacement), you can see that it’s very middling. His 0.7 WAR barely moves the needle with elite outfielders, especially considering NL MVP candidates, Ronald Acuña Jr. (8.1 WAR) and Mookie Betts’ (8.4 WAR) seasons, both outfielders as well. Considering both of them have a case for the MVP and with the former having a historic season, Schwarber’s numbers at the age of 30 pale in comparison to those two despite the superior power numbers.
Perhaps it’s unfair to compare him to the top two players of the National League, but if we truly want to look at Schwarber’s season holistically, I do feel like comparing him to his peers is at least the slightest bit fair. He lacks in many of the metrics that really drive a successful MLB season. Maybe if his numbers improve over the postseason, we can totally dismiss his confusing regular season.
The Phillies, after all, are coming off of a 2022 season in which they made the World Series and lost an exciting matchup against the champions, Houston Astros, in six games. Schwarber was also a part of that team and one could argue, despite his lower power and run creation numbers, that it was a better season as he also batted .218 (still not great but not below the Mendoza line).
I think after this careful assessment, I’m ready to make my full judgment on the 2023 season for Kyle Schwarber. He’s definitely a product of the three true outcome approach to the current game. He strikes out a lot, he hits a lot of home runs, and he also happens to walk a lot because of his power (126 times in 2023). His defense is the only major strike against him but that can be the difference in a tight game.
I feel that his play can be a liability at times, especially when his offensive game goes cold, so I’m going to conclude that his game is declining and that he isn’t as good as he used to be. He’s still an above-average outfielder, but only barely. His age and declining batting average despite a slightly higher on-base percentage with no considerable speed (0 steals, 2 attempts) makes him a good, not great player.
I would consider his season a disappointment, but I would hardly call it a bad season. It is about what we can expect from him going forward in his MLB career. What do you think of my in-depth, honest assessment of Kyle Schwarber? Do you agree? What else should I consider at this point? Do the Phillies have a good chance of making another World Series appearance? Let me know in the comments.
