July 12, 2022
There will be Schwarbombs aplenty in Los Angeles next week.
Kyle Schwarber confirmed his participation in the annual Home Run Derby on Tuesday through his Instagram, and will be going up against fellow NL East sluggers Pete Alonso, Ronald Acuña Jr., Juan Soto, and Cardinals legend Albert Pujols on his farewell tour.
Schwarber was named an NL All-Star reserve on Sunday, and it was of little surprise as the Phillies outfielder has been crushing the ball for well over a month now.
Through June and 10 games into July, he has 17 home runs and 34 RBIs with little sign of slowing down. And for the season as a whole so far: A .219 batting average, but an NL-leading 28 home runs, 57 RBIs, and an .856 OPS.
This will be the 29-year old's second straight All-Star nod — he made it to Colorado last summer as a member of the Nationals — and his second go at the Home Run Derby after he battled it out with Bryce Harper (when Schwarber was with the Cubs and Harper the Nationals) in 2018.
Harper came out on top in that one.
Harper also earned All-Star honors, his first as a member of the Phillies, when he won the fan vote to be the NL's designated hitter. He won't be able to play, though, due to his broken thumb.
As for how Phillies have historically held up in the Home Run Derby?
Well, Jim Thome gave it a shot in 2004, Chase Utley didn't hold up but made the quote of the night in '08, and Bobby Abreu and Ryan Howard won the whole thing back-to-back years in 2005 and 2006.
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