Leading Man: Schwarber’s Positive Impact Leading Off For The Phillies in June

Players batting at the 1 spot are usually contact hitters. They exhibit patience and work the pitch count to their advantage. They are often excellent runners and have a knack for stealing bases. Leadoff hitters get on base, create scoring opportunities, and energize their team. Then you have Kyle Schwarber.

Kyle Schwarber is not your typical leadoff hitter. The 6’0″ tall, 229-pound slugger led the national league in home runs last season. He would bat cleanup on most teams, but the Phillies continue to see success using him at the top of the lineup.

Phillies manager, Rob Thomson, shuffled his lineup at the beginning of May with the return of Bryce Harper. Schwarber went from batting third to moving to the top of the lineup. Schwarber is no stranger to the 1 spot. However, many fans questioned the change this year. The Phillies went 10-16 in May. Even worse, Schwarber went 0-19 in his first 4 games batting at the top of the order. He struck out 7 times with no walks.

Since moving to leadoff, Schwarber’s batting average dropped from .208 to .187. His struggles contributed to the Phils’ poor performance in May. While Thomson, shifted his lineup several times over the past 2 months, Schwarber continues to find himself at the top of the order. Fortunately, Kyle has turned it around big time in the month of June.

Schwarber is hitting .254 with 17 hits, 7 homers, 14 RBIs and 15 runs scored in 17 games this month. 4 of his home runs this season came in the first inning at the leadoff spot.

• Jun 6 vs Detroit Tigers
• Jun 13 vs Arizona Diamondbacks
• Jun 16 vs Oakland Athletics
• Jun 18 vs Oakland Athletics

Let’s get one thing straight. Schwarber is a slugger, not a contact hitter. He struck out 21 times in June, but his early home runs have rallied the Phillies to a 13-4 record this month. Despite the strikeouts, Kyle has a .332 on-base percentage with a 15% walk rate. He’s a deceptively decent base runner. Furthermore, Schwarber was 3rd in the league last year in pitches seen per at bat. He doesn’t swing at the first pitch often and knows how to work the pitch count, a trait common with great leadoff hitters.

With Mr. June, Kyle Schwarber, heating up, the Phillies aren’t likely to make any changes. Schwarber dominated in the series against the Oakland A’s, hitting 2 home runs from the top of the order. He now has 20 homers on the season. The Phils, now 4 games above .500, look to continue their success Tuesday night against the Atlanta Braves.