Moving Kyle Schwarber Down The Lineup Won’t Fix The Phillies
The Phillies are in a tailspin. They haven’t been a good baseball team for a couple of months now. And when a team nosedive like this, people look for any desperate move they can to try and pull them out of it. Fire the hitting coach, jumble the lineup, bench the star player. A popular one I have heard is moving Kyle Schwarber down the lineup.
The problem is, that makes no sense. Any move they make has to be based in logic. Changing something just to change it won’t fix the problem. Right now, Kyle Schwarber is the furthest thing from the problem for the Phillies. In fact I would argue Kyle Schwarber, Alec Bohm, and Nick Castellanos are the only hitters doing their job.
Kyle Schwarber’s Great Numbers Leading Off
The nose dive started with the trip to London. I am not saying that trip is why they are bad, it is just the point where you can see a major difference in their play.
Well since then, Schwarber is hitting .281/.425/.629/1.054. He has 16 HRs, 38 RBIs, and 40 BBs since London. The stats say he is their best hitter in that time, and modern baseball says you hit your best hitter leadoff.
This season he has a slash line of .283/.389/.642/1.030 leading off games. That includes a league-leading 11 leadoff HRs, 3 shy of the All-Time record. He is among the best hitters in the league leading off games.
You know the old saying you don’t fix what isn’t broken. That is the one part of the Phillies lineup that without a doubt works. The problem is the two highest-paid players are terrible right now. Bryce Harper showed signs here and there of breaking out, but is still not himself. And Trea Turner looks like he did in the first 4 months of last season again.
That is your problem. If those two don’t hit, this team will not win anything. Even with Schwarber, Castellanos, and Bohm actually all hitting pretty well right now, those two struggling are an anchor around this team’s necks. Moving Schwarber down won’t fix that
If Not Kyle Schwarber, Then Who?
resumably, you are moving the guy hitting .186/.210/.253/.463 over the last 30 days into the leadoff spot. Trea Turner is not a good leadoff hitter right now. He isn’t even a good 9th hitter right now. Do you want to reward him for poor play? Give him even more at-bats, and the guy who is your best hitter fewer?
If not Turner, then who else? Nick Castellanos is your 2nd best hitter right now, but I doubt anyone wants him to leadoff. Bryce Harper hates leading off and has only been slightly better than Turner in the last 30 days. Stott hasn’t hit well all season long. Marsh is a mess at the plate. So who?
Kyle Scharber is their best option. Let me correct that because just saying he is their best option makes it sound like it is by default. Kyle Schwarber is a great leadoff hitter. It might not be traditional, but the numbers don’t lie. People who don’t like it are simply stuck in the past and can’t think of a leadoff hitter as anything other than the fastest guy on the team.
Kyle Schwarber Is Not The Problem
No amount of lineup tinkering is going to change the fact they simply need their other stars to play better. Harper and Turner to start, but also Aaron Nola who has hit a wall, Ranger Suarez has been injured and, the top guys in the bullpen are struggling.
On a list of the top 100 problems for the Phillies, Kyle Schwarber hitting leadoff wouldn’t even appear because it is not a problem. The hotdogs being too soggy is a bigger reason for their struggles than anything to do with Kyle Schwarber. It is just the default thing people fall back on because they don’t want to point the finger to the actual problem.
There are small lineup changes they can and should make. For one, lefty/righty be damned, I am not hitting Stott or Marsh 5th anymore. If anything those two should be 8th and 9th because they have shown no ability to hit the ball consistently.
But if you are advocating to move Kyle Schwarber down, you are just saying things for the sake of it. There is no logic or thought behind that move.
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Who From the 2008 Phillies Will Make it Onto the Wall of Fame?
Already On It
As mentioned, Pat Burrell, Charlie Manuel, Harry Kalas, and Pat Gillick are already up on the wall. So that makes it 4. And you can’t argue against any of them deserving the spot. Charlie is the winningest Manager in Phillies history. Pat Gillick oversaw the 2nd World Series in franchise history, Harry Kalas was the best sports broadcaster period, and Pat Burrell is up there amongst the best Power Hitters in the history of the team.
Jimmy Rollins is next. He is the best SS in team history, and should honestly be in the Hall of Fame. 470 steals, 231 HRs, 115 triples. He is one of just 4 players to ever hit 20+ homers, 20+ doubles, 20+ triples, and steal 20 bases in a single season. For me, he was always the best guy on that team.
Ryan Howard- Lock
His career started too late and ended too soon. But in that 5-year stretch from 2005 to 2009, there was no better power hitter in the world. Howard finished his career with the 2nd most HRs in Phillies history. He also won an MVP, Rookie of the Year, and made 3 All-Star games. It is a shame that injuries ruined the end of his career. Because with how good he was, he should be a 500 HR guy and in the Hall of Fame.
Chase Utley- Lock
The last of the trifecta. Jimmy, Ryan, and Chase. The Sabermetrics would tell you he was the best of the 3 too. His WAR, if you go by that stat, is the 5th best in team history. Personally, I still say Jimmy is better, but no one will argue that Chase isn’t also a legend. And as of now, he stands the best chance to make the Hall of Fame, getting 39.8 % of the vote in just his 2nd year on the ballot.
Cole Hamels- Lock
Being on teams with Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee, people sometimes forget how great Cole Hamels was. But he is genuinely one of the best pitchers in team history. In 10 seasons with the Phillies, he has an ERA of 3.30. The one blotch on his time with the Phillies was that 2009 season. Every other year, he was an Ace, including 2008 when he was the World Series MVP.
Brad Lidge- Lock
Brad Lidge’s time here was short. Just 4 seasons, and one of them, 2009, was awful. But honestly, even if 2008 was his only year here, he would be worthy. A perfect season is not easy to accomplish, but he did it. And yeah some of those saves weren’t so perfect, but he got it done with a Sub 2.0 Era. Then of course he got the save in the Final Game of the World Series to seal it for the Phillies.
Carlos Ruiz- Lock
Chooch was not always the best with a bat in his hands. He had his moments, but he was usually the last guy in the lineup. What makes him special is what he did as a catcher. If it was not for Yadier Molina having a Monopoly over Gold Gloves in the NL in that era, Ruiz would likely have a lot of them. He was a steady presence behind the plate for the Phillies for that whole run. 11 years as the Phillies catcher.
Shane Victorino- Probable
The Flying Hawaiian. Equally beloved as he was at times frustrating. Shane won 3 Gold Gloves in Center with the Phillies, made two All-Star teams, and of course won a World Series in 8 seasons with the Phillies. He also hit .279, stole 179 bases, hit 88 HRs, and came just 2 hits shy of 1000 hits with the Phillies. Of course, he also has that legendary Grand Slam in the 2008 NLDS. He needs to go on the Wall at some point.
Jayson Werth- Probable
Werth spent just 4 seasons with the Phillies and was only the full-time right Fielder in 3 of them. But he was one of the Phillies’ best hitters for those 3 seasons. He hit 99 doubles, and 95 HR with a .282 average. Fans were initially bitter when he understandably took a big paycheck from the Nationals, but that hatchet has since been buried and Werth is back to being a beloved figure in Philadelphia. And people never should have been upset with him taking the biggest contract anyway.
Ryan Madson- Maybe
The case for Ryan Madson being on the Wall comes from someone who was just recently inducted. Ron Reed. Madson was the setup man for a World Series team, and so was Ron Reed. Reed spent 8 seasons here, and Madson spent 9. Reed was a bit better than Madson, but only a bit. And if Reed made it, Madson may one day as well. He just might have to wait almost 30 years like Reed did.
Tom Burgoyne- Maybe
Most fans may not know this name. That’s because he goes by a different name when he is on the field. You may know him better if he was covered in green fur and had a snout. Tom is the Phantic, or as they like to put it, “a friend of the Phantic.” He has been a friend of the Phantic since 1994. So should he someday go onto the wall? Why not? He has nearly 30 years of service time and has become an inseparable part of what people think of when they picture the Phillies.
Joe Blanton- Maybe
The fifth Ace from the Four Aces. Blanton was never a shutdown guy. But he ate innings, and as far as 5th starters go, he got the job done. But 5th starters don’t get on the Phillies Wall, at least not yet. The Phillies are more than willing to put mediocre hitters on the wall but have not extended that grace to pitchers just yet. The World Series HR may help his case though.
Matt Stairs- Unlikely
Can one moment get you onto the Wall of Fame? Looking only at the numbers, Stairs does not deserve it. He was only ever a pinch hitter here after all. But he does have one of the greatest hits in team history. Every Phillies fan knows the words “Stairs Rips One Into the Night.”
Pedro Feliz- Unlikely
The one guy in the lineup who may not make it is Pedro Feliz. His defense was great, but he was not much of a hitter. He also spent just 2 seasons here. His one saving grace is that he drove in the game-winning run in game 5 of the World Series. Is that enough to get him onto the Wall? You would think not, but it’s not impossible.
Brett Myers- Unlikely
We already talked about how mediocre Pitchers have not gotten the same grace mediocre hitters do when it comes to the Phillies Wall of Fame. And Brett Myers also has some personal baggage holding him back. But he was on the mound when they clinched the NL East in 2007. So it’s not impossible.
