Schwarber to stay with the Phillies on record-breaking new deal

Kyle Schwarber will stay with the Phillies somewhat unsurprisingly After entertaining offers from the Mets the Orioles the Red Sox the Pirates and the Reds the National League MVP runner-up agreed to a five-year million free agent contract a record-smashing amount for a designated hitter I ve grown as a sportsman in Philadelphia the last four years and I feel like there s a mutual respect between both of us and a lot of unfinished business to be had there Schwarber announced on Baseball Tonight I want to see this through I want to win a World Series in Philadelphia and I want to win more than one Philly We can t tell you how excited we are Can t wait to keep riding with you guys and to get the job done pic twitter com jQ sFDegQ Kyle Schwarber kschwarb December The first reports of the deal came the same day Schwarber was informed on the U S crew for next year s World Baseball Classic Schwarber was one of the biggest names on the free agency board this offseason His final decision didn t seem like it was that much of a mystery to folks in the know at this week s MLB Winter Meeting in Orlando Everyone at the Winter Meetings had a feeling Schwarber was headed back to Philly pic twitter com bHFflQSY S Talkin' Baseball TalkinBaseball December Our own Phillies experts on the Hittin Season podcast didn t see any other outcome than Philly This felt natural that s ultimately the term I m going for here Justin Klugh announced I never thought he was going anywhere else so I can t say I felt relieved because I was never very stressed that he was going to go anywhere else every story that came out about him going somewhere else was just like a thought exercise done for fun He has been a crowd favorite to the point a Declaration of Independence urging the crew to resign him gained hundreds of signatures as it passed through the stands of Citizens Bank Park Besides his ability to hit Schwarbombs in a season - four of those in one match right before filming a cameo on Abbott Elementary - Schwarber s leadership presence in the crew was highlighted as a major reason why the club demanded to keep him around He knows how to bring the heartbeat of a clubhouse down when things are going rough and not only the clubhouse but individuals as well stated Phillies coach Rob Thomson who also got his contract extended through Philadelphia Phillies Kyle Schwarber right reacts to his three-run home run with Bryson Stott left during the seventh inning of a baseball event against the New York Mets Tuesday Sep in Philadelphia AP Photo Chris Szagola The other standout point about Schwarber s new deal is his age he ll be turning in March and will be by the time this contract winds out A lineup of stars that includes him -year-old Bryce Harper -year-old Trea Turner and -year-old J T Realmuto if he likes the offer the organization has reportedly given him is getting creaky All indications coming from the Phillies are that Schwarber s part in that conundrum isn t a concern given his past insufficient seasons with the Phils He s in the best shape of his life right now and I don t think that that s going to change I think that there s a really good chance that he s going to maintain this level I mean this was an unbelievable year for him so I don t think that we can expect this every year But I still think he s going to be a high-level performer Thomson declared Philadelphia Phillies Kyle Schwarber hits a home run off of Kansas City Royals pitcher Angel Zerpa during the fifth inning of a baseball contest Saturday Sept in Philadelphia AP Photo Matt Rourke Baseball s stats trackers like John Stolnis of Hittin Season say the numbers back that argument up as well He appears to be defying age he revealed All of the metrics back up the fact that there s a reason to believe that there s not going to be a big downfall with him as he ages into his s the bat speed the barrel rate the fact he s improved against left-handers he s making more contact in the strike zone Schwarber himself was level-headed about how he came to this current purple patch in his career and what he necessities to do to remain in it Just because was a great statistical season for me it doesn t mean that this offseason I m going to go out and do the same thing and expect the same results he mentioned Wednesday No I have to go from top to bottom and be able to undress everything to realize that there are things that I m going to have to keep getting better at and keep evolving because the encounter just keeps evolving The post Schwarber to stay with the Phillies on record-breaking new deal appeared first on Billy Penn at WHYY