Kyle Schwarber can't stop launching dingers. Plus: 2 predictions for the MLB playoff field

New York Times

4 days ago

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Kyle Schwarber just keeps hitting dingers, and he cannot be stopped.
Plus: We consider what might be learned from the Savannah Bananas, plus a way-too-early playoff preview, and Ken tells us how the Padres convinced the A's to part with Mason Miller. I'm Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal — welcome to The Windup!
At least once a month, I see Kyle Schwarber's name in a headline, and my brain returns to a phrase from last June: 'everyman slugger with an empathetic spirit.'
The 'everyman' moniker is intended to describe Schwarber's personality, though. Not his power. After winning the All-Star Game MVP by hitting home runs on three consecutive swings to give the NL the swing-off win, Schwarber has stayed hot in the second half.
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Since that All-Star Game, the Phillies slugger has hit 10 home runs in 16 games, including a two-run homer and a grand slam last night, giving him 40 on the year (and 324 in his career, third among active players 32 or younger). Only Cal Raleigh (42) has more this year.
As Charlotte Varnes writes here, not only is Schwarber rounding into form as the second half takes shape, but the Phillies offense is catching up with their pitching, which has been a strength all year.
Last night's win — in which Schwarber drove home six of the team's 13 runs — paired with a Mets loss in extra innings (their sixth loss in seven games) to mean the Phillies now have a 1 1/2-game lead in the NL East.
That's not an insurmountable lead by any means. But for a team that was five back in mid-June, it is further evidence that they're legit.
From my latest notes column:
Initially, the Athletics had no intention of even discussing Mason Miller with the Padres. The A's were targeting upper-level pitching prospects. In their estimation, the Padres didn't have enough.
Padres general manager A.J. Preller asked the A's to supply the names of pitching prospects they wanted from other clubs, with the idea of acquiring those players to obtain Miller in a multi-team deal, according to sources briefed on the discussions.
It was typical Preller. Tell him he can't get a player one way, and he'll try another. But the A's did not want to complicate this. If they were going to trade Miller, it was going to be a team they could deal with directly. And the three clubs they identified as most likely to meet their price were the Phillies, Mets and Yankees.
All three clubs turned to other options, declining to go to the same lengths the Padres did to acquire Miller for four additional years, sources with each of those teams said.
How, then, did the Padres come away with Miller?
Preller cited two factors: the constant communication Padres assistant GM Josh Stein maintained with the Athletics, focusing mostly on left-handed starter JP Sears initially, and the A's realization that the Padres' system was strong enough to build an acceptable deal, one that would include Law's No. 13 prospect, shortstop Leo De Vries, and attractive young pitching as well.
More here.
For some, the Bananas are a new evolution of baseball, designed to maximize the fan experience and test the bounds of what's possible with bats, gloves and baseballs.
Others feel a bit like Hank Hill telling his son Bobby: 'You're not making (baseball) better, you're just making (TikTok) worse.'
I've felt a little of both since learning about the Bananas years ago.
So yeah, I get both angles. Which made it very interesting to me when I saw Britt Ghiroli's headline: 'What can MLB learn from the Savannah Bananas?'
No, we don't need a new rule that allows fans to record an out by catching a foul ball, and we don't need the Yankees to trade in their pinstripes for gaudy yellow uniforms.
But there are some concepts that could help the game maintain its health for generations to come. Because if they don't … we might all be in for a Banana-ball reckoning somewhere around the third or fourth month of the 2027 lockout.
I know, I know. We just got through the trade deadline. But I was looking at the standings last night, and I couldn't help but think: If nothing changes, this will already be an interesting October. Also, I expect changes.
Here's where we stand right now. If the season ended after last night, the matchups would look like this:
American League:
Mariners vs. Astros
Yankees vs. Red Sox
Bye: Blue Jays, Tigers
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National League:
Padres vs. Phillies
Mets vs. Cubs
Bye: Brewers, Dodgers
I would be so interested in every one of those matchups. Yankees-Red Sox in the postseason again? AL West rivalry? 2022 NLCS rematch? Pete Crow-Armstrong vs. the team that traded Pete Crow-Armstrong?
I'm good with this. Start the playoffs tomorrow. I love it.
Alas, I have two predictions about what I think will change between now and Oct. 1 …
MLB's showcase events have largely been successful. The Field of Dreams game, the Rickwood Field game — most of the time, the league pulls it off really well. But thanks in part to the weather, some described the Speedway Classic at Bristol Motor Speedway as 'the MLB version of Fyre Fest.' It still set the regular-season attendance record, though, so there's that.
More fallout from the Twins' fire sale: Dan Hayes says as many as a half-dozen teams inquired with Byron Buxton, who informed them he was not going to waive his no-trade clause.
Jim Bowden has his superlatives from this year's deadline: the best and worst trade, the weirdest move, the biggest overpay and more.
The Cubs needed to replace Justin Steele at the top of their rotation. Michael Soroka wasn't that — and now he might be injured, too.
And in this week's Power Rankings, we also look backward at the deadline, defining each team's moves with one word. Also, we have a new No. 1 …
For one night, Jesús Sánchez made himself the face of the Astros' trade deadline.
In Boston, it's 2018 vibes — maybe not on the field yet, but the game-by-game photo wall is a nice touch.
On the pods: On 'Rates and Barrels,' they're talking late-season fantasy baseball adjustments. Meanwhile, on 'The Roundtable,' the crew kinda backs me up on my Yankees assessment.
Most-clicked in our last newsletter: Oneil Cruz's incredible throw to get Brenton Doyle out at third on Friday.
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