Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber draws eye-opening Alex Rodriguez comparison

The Philadelphia Phillies are now gearing up to face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Division Series. If they want to dethrone the Los Angeles Dodgers, Kyle Schwarber and his prodigious power will be necessary.

Schwarber has been getting MVP hype after a regular season that saw him lead all of baseball with 132 RBIs. But that success didn’t just come over night. Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long has seen the slugger develop all season. Schwarber’s preparation reminds Long of former New York Yankees standout Alex Rodriguez.

“He’s like A-Rod,” Long said, referring to Alex Rodriguez, whom Long coached with the Yankees. “A-Rod was so meticulous. He’d watch replays of every game. He’d want to dissect his at-bats from the previous night. If there was any kind of in-game adjustment he needed to make, he wanted that information. Kyle’s like that. A-Rod’s routine was almost bulletproof. Kyle’s is very, very similar. He’s very detailed. He wants to know the whys. He wants to know what he should be doing better.”

“You wouldn’t believe the time and the effort he puts into it,” Long concluded.

While Rodriguez’s career was marred by his steroid scandal, he’s not a bad player to be compared to. He was named MVP three times over his 22-year career, hitting 696 home runs and 2,086 RBIs. If Schwarber reached those numbers, he would be amongst the best power hitters in MLB history. That may be a stretch in the long run, but Long clearly believes his preparation has him set up for greatness.

Perhaps the comparison Schwarber most wants is Rodriguez’s contract numbers. He signed a then, record-breaking $275 million contract with the Yankees in 2007. As Schwarber enters free agency, he wants to cash in.

It may be difficult seeing as he is primarily a designated hitter. However, it’s hard to deny a NL-best 56 home runs alongside his RBI numbers. But while his free agency is set to have plenty of twists, Schwarber is solely focused on getting the Phillies to the World Series.