Though it had been nearly 10 years since a Phillie was last named National League Player of the Month, it should come as no surprise that Kyle Schwarber took the award home in June.
It was announced just before Saturday's Phillies-Cardinals game that Schwarber was the recipient, just as he was last June with the Nationals.
Schwarber homered 12 times in the month, driving in 27 runs and scoring 27 in 27 games as the Phillies went 19-8. He hit .272/.385/.680, raising his season batting average from .185 to .221 and his OPS by 107 points.
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SIGN UP HERE He had the longest on-base streak (31 games) of any Phillie since Chase Utley in 2006 before it ended on the penultimate day of the month.
Schwarber is on pace for 48 home runs. This is the first of a four-year, $79 million contract. His salary this season is $19 million and he is on his way to outperforming that number. He's solidified the leadoff spot for a team that hasn't had consistency there in years, and he's been a pain in the neck for pitchers with his ability to change a game with one swing or extend an at-bat.
Impressive as Schwarber's month was, he was even more impactful last June for the Nationals, when he had 16 homers and 30 RBI in 27 games. The Nats went 19-8 just as the Phils did this June.
Somehow, Bryce Harper did not win NL Player of the Month during his 2021 MVP season. Schwarber is the first Phillie to win Player of the Month since May 2013, when Domonic Brown received it after a 12-homer, no-walk month that led to his only All-Star appearance.
MLB
It will be difficult for Schwarber to keep up this pace for the remaining three months but the Phillies will need something close to it until Harper returns from a broken thumb. The Phillies are hoping to have Harper back in late August. Until then, Schwarber is the most important piece in the lineup and the one opposing teams will least want to let beat them.
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