Kyle Schwarber: Collegiate Career and Rise to MLB Stardom

Kyle Joseph Schwarber, born on March 5, 1993, is an American professional baseball left fielder and designated hitter currently playing for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). Before his successful MLB career, Schwarber honed his skills playing college baseball for the Indiana Hoosiers, laying the foundation for his future success. This article delves into Schwarber's college career, highlighting his achievements and contributions to the Indiana Hoosiers baseball program.

Early Life and High School Career

Kyle Schwarber was born in Middletown, Ohio, and attended Middletown High School.

College Career at Indiana University Bloomington

Schwarber enrolled at Indiana University Bloomington to play college baseball for the Indiana Hoosiers. His time with the Hoosiers was marked by exceptional offensive performance and leadership, solidifying his status as one of the program's all-time greats.

Freshman Year (2012)

As a freshman in 2012, Kyle Schwarber made an immediate impact for the Indiana Hoosiers. He was named a freshman All-American by Louisville Slugger and Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. He recorded a .300 batting average, a .390 on-base percentage, and a .513 slugging percentage. He also hit eight home runs and drove in 47 runs batted in (RBIs).

Sophomore Year (2013)

In his sophomore year in 2013, Schwarber continued to excel. He hit .366/.456/.647 with 18 home runs and 54 RBIs in 61 games. His performance earned him first-team All-American honors from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). He led the team with 18 home runs and a .647 slugging percentage. He was second on the team with a .366 batting average, and went on a 10-game postseason hitting streak to help the Hoosiers reach Omaha. After the season, Schwarber played for the United States collegiate national team during the summer. Schwarber was an instrumental piece in the Hoosiers’ success in 2013, as they won a modern-era record 49 games, took home the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles and reached the College World Series for the first and only time in program history.

Read also: The Kyle Ford Transfer Story

Junior Year (2014)

As a junior, he batted .348/.456/.643 with 13 home runs.

Cape Cod Baseball League

In the 2012 college offseason, Schwarber played for the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL). After winning the league championship with the Gatemen, Schwarber was awarded the playoff's most valuable player award.

MLB Draft and Professional Career

Schwarber's outstanding college performance led to him being drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the first round, fourth overall, in the 2014 Major League Baseball draft. He signed on June 11. Upon being drafted, MLB.com analyst Bernie Pleskoff profiled Schwarber as a "game-changing" power-hitter.

Early Professional Career

He made his professional debut with the Boise Hawks three days later, going 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. The Cubs then promoted him to the Kane County Cougars of the Class A Midwest League and the Daytona Cubs of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League before the end of the season. Schwarber began the 2015 season with the Double-A Tennessee Smokies of the Southern League. The Cubs sent Schwarber to the Triple-A Iowa Cubs of the Pacific Coast League after the six games.

Chicago Cubs (2015-2021)

On July 16, 2015, Schwarber was recalled from Triple A Iowa, to rejoin the Cubs due to an injury to catcher Montero. On July 21, in a 5-4 extra-inning victory over the Cincinnati Reds, Schwarber hit a game-tying two-run homer in the ninth inning and a solo go-ahead home run in the top of the 13th to give the Cubs the lead. Over the course of the season he split time between catcher and outfield positions. He finished the 2015 regular season having played 69 games, recording a .246 batting average with 16 home runs, 52 runs scored, and 43 RBI in just 273 plate appearances. In the National League Wild Card Game, Schwarber drove in three runs and hit a long two-run home run to help the Cubs defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-0, and advance to the Division Series against the St.

Schwarber only played two games before he was involved in an outfield collision with teammate Dexter Fowler on April 7, 2016, and was removed from the game with a left leg injury. Schwarber tore the anterior cruciate ligament and lateral collateral ligament in his left knee, and would miss the rest of the 2016 season. Despite being injured, there were many trade rumors surrounding Schwarber during the season, especially regarding the Cubs' desire for a premium reliever. Club president Theo Epstein addressed Schwarber's situation by saying it "wouldn't be right to trade him". The Cubs eventually acquired closer Aroldis Chapman from the New York Yankees without having to give up Schwarber. As the Cubs advanced further into the postseason, an unexpectedly fast recovery made the return of Schwarber increasingly more of a possibility. The Cubs added Schwarber to their roster for the 2016 World Series, and started him in Game 1 as their designated hitter. Schwarber's addition to the Cubs' starting line-up was surprising given he had not played in a Major League game since his injury in April. Schwarber hit a double off the right-field wall in the 4th inning of Game 1.

Schwarber was the opening day starting left fielder and lead-off hitter during April and May for the 2017 Chicago Cubs season. Schwarber started the first third of the year with one of the worst batting averages in all of baseball, hitting just .120 for the month of May. When he was demoted to Triple-A on June 22 he had 12 home runs and 28 RBI but his batting average was the lowest in baseball, he was averaging one strike out every three at-bats and was hitting just .143 against left-handers. Schwarber returned to the Cubs active roster on July 6, after the All-Star break. By August 12, he had hit safely in 10 of 13 games with five home runs, three doubles and a triple. He had struck out 106 times in 300 plate appearances. During the off-season Schwarber implemented a strict workout regimen and lost 30 pounds.

Schwarber hit 55 home runs during three stages of the 2018 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby and finished second to Washington Nationals hometown hero Bryce Harper in the final round, 19-18. In 2019, Schwarber batted .250/.339/.531 with 38 home runs and 92 RBI.

Washington Nationals (2021)

On January 9, 2021, the Washington Nationals announced they had signed Schwarber to a one-year major league contract containing a mutual option for 2022. After a slow start to the season, Schwarber went on a tear in June, hitting 16 home runs in an 18-game span from June 12 to 29. He had 5 multi-homer games during the stretch, including a 3-homer game against the New York Mets on June 20, and slashed .280/.362/.760. This was the most home runs hit in any month in the Nationals franchise history, and the second-most ever hit in June in Major League history.

Boston Red Sox (2021)

On July 29, 2021, Schwarber was traded to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for minor-league pitcher Aldo Ramirez. He was activated from the injured list on August 13 and made his Red Sox debut that evening against the Baltimore Orioles. In a change from his outfield role, the Red Sox had him learn first base, where he had mixed success defensively. Through the end of the regular season, Schwarber played in 41 games for Boston, batting .291 with seven home runs and 18 RBIs. He then played in 11 postseason games, batting 9-for-44 (.205) as the Red Sox advanced to the American League Championship Series (ALCS). In Game 3 of the ALCS, Schwarber hit a grand slam that was Boston's third in two games, setting an MLB record for the most grand slams in a postseason series.

Philadelphia Phillies (2022-Present)

On April 8, Schwarber hit a home run in his first at-bat as a Phillie in the team's 9-5 win on Opening Day against the Oakland A's. Schwarber was awarded NL Player of the Month honors for June 2022, after batting .272 with 12 home runs (most of all MLB players in June), with an OPS of 1.064 and an OPS+ of 189 in 27 games. In 155 games in the regular season in 2022, Schwarber finished with a .218 batting average, 100 runs scored, an NL-leading 46 home runs, and 94 RBIs. He also struck out an MLB-leading 200 times. In the 2022 World Series against the Houston Astros, Schwarber batted .250 with five hits and four RBIs in six games.

On September 4, 2023, Schwarber launched his 40th home run of the season in a 9-7 win against the San Diego Padres. He became the fifth player in Phillies history to hit 40 home runs in consecutive seasons behind Chuck Klein, Mike Schmidt, Jim Thome, and Ryan Howard. In 160 games, Schwarber finished with a .197 batting average, 47 home runs, 104 RBI, 126 walks, and struck out an MLB-leading 215 times. He had the most plate appearances (720) of any player in MLB history who has finished a season below the Mendoza Line.

On August 7, Schwarber went 4-for-4, driving in seven runs and hitting three home runs, leading the Phillies to 9-4 win over the Dodgers. Less than a month later, on September 3, Schwarber would complete another 3-homer game, including a go-ahead three-run shot in the top of the 9th inning, to lead the Phillies to a 10-9 comeback win over the Blue Jays.

On May 14, Schwarber snapped a 47-game on-base streak that began on September 23, 2024. Just 5 days later, on May 19, Schwarber became the 163rd player in Major League history to hit 300 home runs. He accomplished this feat on a 466 ft. home run to right field against Rockies pitcher Scott Alexander. He became the 11th active player to reach the 300-homer mark, and he's the sixth to hit No.

In the All-Star Game, Schwarber participated in an All-Star Game tiebreaker swing-off in the event of a tie at 6-6 after 9 innings; he hit 3 home runs, leading the National League to win the All-Star Game tiebreaker over the American League 4-3.

On July 25, Schwarber recorded his 1,000th career hit when he hit a two-run home run off Yankees pitcher Will Warren in the fifth inning. His 319 home runs are an MLB record for a player at the time of their 1,000th hit.

On July 29, Schwarber hit his 37th home run of the season when he hit a two-run homer off White Sox pitcher Jonathan Cannon in the third inning. With that home run, Schwarber hit the most home runs by a Phillies hitter before August in Phillies franchise history.

On August 4, Schwarber became the first player in the National League to reach 40 home runs, including a grand slam in the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles. Due to his performance, Schwarber became the fastest player in Phillies history to reach the 40-homer plateau, doing so in the team's 112th game of the season.

On August 28, Schwarber became the 21st player in MLB history to hit four home runs in one game in a 19-4 rout of the Atlanta Braves. He became the fourth Phillies player to accomplish the feat, joining Mike Schmidt (April 17, 1976), Chuck Klein (July 10, 1936), and Ed Delahanty (July 13, 1896).

On September 2, Schwarber was named the National League Player of the Week, co-winning with Rafael Devers for the 23rd week of the season after going 6-for-28 (.214) and slugging 1.005 with four home runs and ten RBIs in that period.

On September 9, Schwarber hit his 50th home run of the season in a 9-3 victory over the New York Mets. With that homer, Schwarber became just the second player in franchise history, joining Ryan Howard (58 HRs in 2006), and only the 34th player in MLB history to reach the milestone.

On September 23, Schwarber hit his 54th home run of the season against the Miami Marlins in the first inning. With that homer, he became the first Phillies player to hit 54+ homers and collect 130+ RBI in a season since Ryan Howard in 2009. It is also the 11th time in franchise history, and Schwarber is the 6th player to reach that mark.

On September 24, Schwarber hit his 55th home run off Marlins lefty pitcher Ryan Weathers in the third inning.

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