That Balls Outta Here
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3 Phillies who need to step up in Bryce Harper’s absence

By Gabrielle Starr

CLEARWATER, FLORIDA - MARCH 28: Kyle Schwarber #12 and Nick Castellanos #8 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrate after Schwarber hit a home run in the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles during a Grapefruit League spring training game at BayCare Ballpark on March 28, 2022 in Clearwater, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
CLEARWATER, FLORIDA - MARCH 28: Kyle Schwarber #12 and Nick Castellanos #8 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrate after Schwarber hit a home run in the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles during a Grapefruit League spring training game at BayCare Ballpark on March 28, 2022 in Clearwater, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /
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Can the Philadelphia Phillies keep winning without Bryce Harper?

Whether the Philadelphia Phillies and their fans like it or not, we’re going to find out if the team can win without Bryce Harper, who will be out indefinitely with a fractured thumb.

There’s no crying in baseball, nor is there an option to forfeit.

The latter is true, anyway.

Dave Dombrowski confirmed the obvious, that Harper is not replaceable, saying that his teammates will need to go the extra mile to make up the difference:

"“He’s a guy who’s not really replaceable on an individual basis but we’re in a position where other people need to step up offensively. That’s what teams have to do, they have to pick it up, even for star players.”"

Realistically, it’s not an extra mile so much as an entire marathon. It feels impossible, yet the Phillies did take the series from the Padres, winning Saturday and Sunday’s games without their superstar.

With that in mind, here’s who we’re looking at to pick the Phillies up while Harper is down:

Kyle Schwarber

On Sunday, Kyle Schwarber hit his 21st home run of the season. He continues to lead the team in home runs, and only he, Harper (15), and Rhys Hoskins (13) have homer counts in the double digits. Good for them, bad for everyone else slacking.

Schwarber has now played 72 games for the Phillies, which is exactly how many he played for the Washington Nationals last year before going on the Injured List and getting traded to the Boston Red Sox.

Here’s how his 72 games with each NL East team stack up:

Nats: .253/.340/.570, .910 OPS, 9 doubles, 25 HR, 42 runs, 53 RBI, 31 BB, 88 K

Phils: .219/.340/.502, .842 OPS, 12 doubles, 21 HR, 51 runs, 46 RBI, 47 BB, 92 K

Schwarber’s powerful swing is helping the Phillies immensely, but he’s still striking out too much. Now, more than ever, he needs to figure that out so he can maximize his contributions.

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