Kyle Schwarber: The Vintage Star of the Phillies in His 32nd Season

Kyle Schwarber is turning heads in the Philadelphia Phillies clubhouse with his remarkable on-base streak. It’s no surprise, given the numbers he’s putting up this season.

Currently, Schwarber's on-base streak stands at an impressive 46 consecutive games, marking the fourth-longest streak by any Phillies player in the modern era (since 1900). The only players with longer streaks are legends Mike Schmidt (56 games, 1981-1982), Chuck Klein (49 games, 1930), and Bobby Abreu (48 games, 2000-2001). This makes Schwarber's achievement even more noteworthy.

"One of the coolest things is seeing who he's tying or passing each day," said Phillies shortstop Trea Turner. "The names that go by are obviously really good and put you in that category of some greatness... Look, it's hard to do, trust me. I wish we all could do it."

During this streak, Schwarber is hitting .262 with 16 home runs, 37 RBIs, and 33 runs scored. His OPS is a stellar .978, with an equal number of strikeouts and walks at 33 each. Notably, this 46-game streak is the longest by a left-handed hitter in Major League Baseball since Shin-Soo Choo reached base safely in 52 consecutive games back in 2018.

"He's a complete hitter to me," commented Phillies manager Rob Thomson. "He uses the field, takes what they give him. Look at (Sunday), if they want to pitch around him and nibble, he'll take his walks. And if you pitch to him and make bad pitches, he's gonna do damage."

Schwarber is off to a blazing start in the 2025 season, thanks to this on-base streak. As he heads into Monday's matchup against the St. Louis Cardinals, he boasts a .269 batting average, 14 home runs, and 32 RBIs, along with a .998 OPS in his first 40 games. He’s currently tied with Aaron Judge for the major league lead in home runs, with his 14 homers being the most by a Phillies player through 40 games since Raul Ibanez hit 16 in his first season with the team in 2009.

At this rate, Schwarber is on track for a staggering 57 home runs, which would be the highest total of his career. This is particularly impressive considering he has already had two seasons with over 40 home runs while wearing a Phillies uniform and continues to show improvement as he ages.

"You get older, you get smarter," Turner noted. "I think sometimes when you're younger, you kind of have more energy, but you don't know how to channel it. I think his routine has gotten better over time, his preparation has improved. Not playing the field helps a little bit too, but you gotta evolve if you wanna play this game for a long time. He's done that every single time."

Interestingly, Schwarber didn’t hit 40 or more home runs until he was 29, which was his first season with the Phillies. He recorded his first 100-plus RBI season at age 30 and has since achieved back-to-back seasons with over 100 RBIs. This year, he’s on pace for a career-high 130 RBIs, along with a career-best batting average of .269 and OPS of .998. His previous career-highs in RBIs were 104 in both 2022 and 2023, while his OPS peaked at .928 in 2021. Additionally, he has logged back-to-back seasons with over 100 walks.

This on-base streak is a testament to Schwarber's growth and development at the plate. At 32, the Phillies slugger is truly aging like fine wine.

"It tells me he cares about getting better and helping this team win games," Thomson concluded. "That's what it's all about."