No hitter in MLB’s 148-year history has ever hit like this, batting .197 with 47 home runs…a remarkable feat.
He hit over 40 home runs with a 1-for-1 batting average. It’s a first for the 148-year-old major league. Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Kyle Schwarber, 30, is the man to thank.
Schwarber started the season finale against the New York Mets on Sunday, batting first and going hitless in two at-bats before being replaced by pinch-hitter Christian Pacheco in the fifth inning. He finished the regular season batting 1-for-9 with 108 hits in 585 at-bats.
Schwarber, who hit a career-high 47 home runs against the Mets the day before, became the first player in Major League Baseball history to hit more than 40 home runs in a single season. The previous lowest batting average for a 40-homer hitter was 2.24, but he finished with a batting average seven leagues lower.
The previous record holder was left-handed slugger Adam Dunn, whose name is synonymous with “ball buster,” who hit 41 home runs in 2012 with the Chicago White Sox. Minnesota Twins slugger Joey Gallo hit 38 home runs with a 1-for-9 record while bouncing between the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees in 2021. That was the most home runs ever by a 1B.
This year, however, Schwarber broke both records, hitting 40 home runs. In his ninth year with the Cubs, Schwarber, who made his debut in 2015, has a career batting average of just 2.23, but he’s a long ball hitter with 246 home runs. 먹튀검증토토사이트 He’s had five 30-homer seasons, including two 40-homer seasons, including leading the National League in home runs last year.
He had a high home run rate this year, with only one less home run (47) than singles (48). The power was there, but the precision was lacking. He did have a high slugging percentage (.266) in 2021, but the rest of the year was all below .205. This year, he was consistent in March (.204), May (.115), June (.223), July (.175), August (.213), and September and October (.238). Lowest batting average among 134 regulars. Most strikeouts, 215.
Despite his low batting average, Schwarber started 108 games at first base. Thirty-four of his 47 home runs came from the top of the order, including 11 leadoff homers. His lack of contact hasn’t stopped him from drawing 126 walks, so his on-base percentage (.343) is nearly a full point higher than his batting average. Add in his on-base percentage (.474) and his OPS (.817) is well above league average (.734).
Schwarber signed a four-year, $79 million free agent contract with the Phillies last March. After hitting .827 with 46 homers and 94 RBIs in 155 games (126-for-577) last year, he followed that up with similar numbers in 160 games this year, hitting .817 with 47 homers and 104 RBIs. With 93 home runs over two years, he became the most prolific player in Philadelphia history in his first two years.
In the old days, he might have been devalued as a “bomb” hitter, but in this day and age, he is fully valued as an OPS hitter. His team, the Philadelphia Phillies, made it to the postseason for the second straight year after finishing as World Series runners-up last year and earning the top wild-card spot in the National League this year. The Phillies will begin their best-of-three wild-card series against the Miami Marlins on April 4.
According to MLB.com, Schwarber said, “The teams that are in the postseason are really good teams. Miami is a good team, but we’re a team that can match up with any pitching staff.” “We have to find a way to win. We don’t have to look pretty or sexy. We just have to win,” he said.
Philadelphia teammate, outfielder Nick Castellanos, said, “Schwarber is the backbone of the Phillies. “He’s always optimistic, he puts the team before himself, and he’s there for his teammates. You never see him focusing on his own struggles or anything personal. He’s always there when someone needs him,” said Nick Castellanos, praising Schwaber’s value.