Kyle Schwarber Has Areas of Improvement Despite Hot Streak

Apr 30, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (12) hits an RBI double against the San Francisco Giants in the ninth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Kyle Schwarber Has Areas of Improvement Despite Hot Streak

Originally posted on Philadelphia Phillies on SI
By Kenneth Teape | Last updated May 12, 2026 7:00 AM ET

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Since the Philadelphia Phillies made the difficult choice to fire manager Rob Thomson and replace him with Don Mattingly on an interim basis, the team’s performance has taken off.

One of the players who has helped turn things around for the Phillies is designated hitter Kyle Schwarber. He has been on a tear at the plate since the managerial change, once again looking like one of the most dangerous hitters in baseball.

Schwarber is in the midst of an incredible power surge. He has hit a long ball in four straight games, launching five balls over the fence in that time, with two being recorded in the series finale against the Colorado Rockies.

His numbers look better thanks to this current hot streak, with the slugger looking to have figured some things out. However, there are still areas of his game that he isn’t overly pleased with and is looking to continue improving upon.

Kyle Schwarber is on fire, but wants to improve some areas still

“It’s been interesting so far,” Schwarber said of his start, via Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic (subscription required). “Obviously, (working on) cutting down the K rate, things like that. … We know there’s always going to be ups and downs throughout the course of a year. There’s been a lot of good signs as well. It’s not like you can go home and be upset, right? We’re winning baseball games and finding a way to be productive at the plate.”

In the series against the Miami Marlins on the road, Schwarber went down on strikes in eight consecutive at-bats. His strikeout rate is at a concerningly high 32.1% through 184 plate appearances, an increase over the 27.2% that he had in 2025 and was aiming to cut back in 2026.

He was also hoping to increase upon the .240 batting average that he produced last year. Thus far, he has fallen short of that goal as well, with a .227 batting average.

However, he certainly looks as if he could be turning a corner. In the 13 games since Mattingly has taken over as the interim manager, his production has skyrocketed. In 59 plate appearances, he has a .288/.373/.750 slash line, hitting seven home runs and three doubles.

YOUR MOM'S FAVORITE PLAYER HAS HOMERED AGAIN pic.twitter.com/A6B0GwCqkx
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 10, 2026

The power and run production are certainly nice to see, but the strikeout rate during that stretch is still too high at 32.2%. On the other side of the coin, he is still drawing a ton of walks, with an 11.9% walk rate.

Schwarber is accomplishing incredible feats with his slugging. He is the only player, along with New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge, to hit 16+ home runs in his first 41 games over the last five years.

Against the San Francisco Giants on April 30, Schwarber hit his 350th home run in his 1,321st game, reaching that milestone before Babe Ruth. On that same day, in a doubleheader, the designated hitter accomplished feats that haven’t been done since 1935 by Lou Gehrig.

This has been a roller coaster campaign for Schwarber thus far, but the pros have certainly outweighed the cons, and he is heating up.

This article first appeared on Philadelphia Phillies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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