A reason Kyle Schwarber shouldn’t bat leadoff, another Nick Sirianni mistake, and other thoughts

First and final thoughts …

For all the consternation that Kyle Schwarber’s presence in the leadoff spot generates around here, there’s an argument to be made that, over his three years with the Phillies, he has been the best first batter in Major League Baseball.

He just set the major-league single-season record for leadoff home runs, with 15 — then hit another in Game 1 of the National League Divisional Series. The Phillies went 13-3 in those games and have won 69% of the games in which he has hit a home run. His on-base percentage has increased steadily from ’22 to ‘23 to ‘24, and from last season to this season, he raised his batting average by 51 points (.197 to .248) and his slugging percentage by 11 points.

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Based on that track record, it would seem silly for the Phillies to consider moving Schwarber out of the No. 1 spot. And it is silly to consider it … except for one nagging thought.

In the cliched parlance of baseball, a leadoff hitter tends to be a tone-setter for his team. His approach and overall style of play can filter down through the rest of the lineup. Think back to some of the best teams in Phillies history, and you can see some truth in that assertion.

The 1993 National League champions wore down opposing pitchers with their collective patience. Three members of that starting lineup worked more than 111 walks, and no one was a better representative of that discipline — ironically enough, given his life off the field — than Lenny Dykstra. He walked 129 times, struck out just 64 times, and made a 10-pitch at-bat a routine part of any game’s opening inning.

During the Phillies’ five-year run of dominance in the NL East, from 2007 through 2011, Jimmy Rollins was the source of much of their swagger. It’s difficult to picture any other star from those teams — even Chase Utley or Ryan Howard — declaring the Phillies to be “the team to beat” before the 2007 season, then backing up that braggadocio by winning the National League Most Valuable Player Award and leading them to their first division title in 14 years. Rollins did. He stole bases. He hit for power without striking out much. He was the best defensive shortstop in the league. He was loose and edgy in all the right ways, a necessary electric current.

Now, back to Schwarber. He is an intimidating presence for a starting pitcher to face: a little rust early in a game, one fastball that catches too much of the plate, and your team can be down 1-0 in a hurry. He is also a big-swinging long-ball hitter in a lineup with a lot of big-swinging long-ball hitters — or hitters who apparently aspire to be. (We’re looking at you here, Trea Turner.)

» READ MORE: Which Phillies Should Stay or Go? Swipe and Decide

Schwarber led the National League in strikeouts in 2022 (200) and 2023 (215) and fanned 197 times this season, all while the analytics show that he doesn’t chase many pitches outside the strike zone. If he is setting any kind of tone for the batters behind him, it’s not one of, Cut down on your stroke. Put the ball in play. Which is what the Phillies needed to do more often against the New York Mets in the NLDS. And against the Arizona Diamondbacks in last year’s NLCS. And against the Houston Astros in the 2022 World Series.

That kind of adjustment is easy for someone to suggest and tough for a major league hitter to make, of course, and maybe moving Schwarber down in the lineup and replacing him with a different leadoff man wouldn’t alter his teammates’ approach in the slightest. Again, it’s just a thought. But after the way each of these last three seasons has ended for the Phillies, can they afford to dismiss any ideas?

It seems crazy to say that any matter related to Nick Sirianni’s behavior last Sunday during and after the Eagles’ win over the Cleveland Browns could be characterized as under-discussed. But Sirianni said something Wednesday, at his regular mid-week press conference, that deserved more attention than it has received.

The Washington Post’s Adam Kilgore asked Sirianni the following question: “How do you feel like you’ve evolved as far as how to handle the non-football parts of the job, interfacing with the fans and media, and are you still trying to strike a balance of how much to show and be your authentic self and when and how to rein that in?”

Here was Sirianni’s answer, with italics added for emphasis:

» READ MORE: Opinion: Nick Sirianni tried to deflect criticism after the Eagles’ ugly win. It was nothing but a cynical ploy.

“Yeah, I think you always have to be your authentic self. But maybe your authentic self is only for your players and in the building, right? There is a time and place for that.

“Shoot, I’m not going to stop thanking the fans at the away games. I can do some of that and be my authentic self.

“Again, you’re always a work in progress. I think I’ve made a lot of strides as far as my composure during the game. After this week, I think this is probably the wrong time to say that. But you’re never going to be perfect.”

Wait, what? After apologizing Monday for his strange interaction with fans at Lincoln Financial Field, after spending the better part of a week as a punching bag for pundits around the country, Sirianni says he’s not going to change how he conducts himself?

Give him this much: If he’s going down, he’s going down his way. But the question he has to ask himself is this: Once his time with the Eagles ends, will anyone give him a chance to get back up?

The Flyers scored two goals, both by Matvei Michkov, in seven power-play opportunities Tuesday in their 4-3 overtime loss in Edmonton. Which made it a good night, relatively speaking, for the Oilers’ penalty-killing units. Through Edmonton’s first four games, its opponents went 7-for-16 with a man advantage. Yuck. That’s not a penalty kill. That’s a Tobias Harris boxscore line.