Philadelphia Harper on Schwaber: 'I don't want him to go anywhere else'

Bryce Harper is pleased with the Phillies in their current line set-up.

It's been a month and a day since Rob Thomson scheduled Bryson Stott, Trea Turner, Harper and Kyle Schwarber for one to four in St. Louis on April 11. It was Harper's first back-to-back team-up with Schwaber and 28 games in a row since then – including a 3-0 win over the Guardians on Sunday night.

This configuration is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.

But what about next year and beyond?

"I was talking to people the other day," Harper told MLB.com last week, "and I said, 'I can't imagine a locker room without Schwaber.'" He is an outstanding leader, a role model in his community, and a perfect family and personality. I think the team should be built around him. Obviously he's going to be a free market favourite, but I don't want him to be in the market. He's the guy we're going to need for years to come. "

Harper responded when asked if he thought Schwaber (because of his eyeball, speed and power) would be able to continue his home run production into his 40s like David Ortiz. It's a question to keep an eye on because the 32-year-old Schwaber will become a free agent after this season.

Schwaber has expressed a desire to stay in Philadelphia. "I don't want him to go anywhere," Harper stressed, "it's not putting pressure on management or Dave [referring to President Dave Dombrowski]." Apparently they wanted to keep them, and he himself wanted to stay. He loves community and where he lives, but the feeling of being needed is also important. I don't know if he'll go into free agency, hopefully not. If he does enter, there will be a lot of teams competing for him, because he is so good. "

Schwaber doubled on Sunday night to tie with Aaron Judge for MLB's home run title this season with 14 hits. In the 2022-2025 season, he ranked second in MLB with 145 hits, behind Judge (171 hits).

Thomson ranked Schwaper behind Harper last month because of his ability to change the game with one shot and wanted to create more good opportunities for Harper.

From the start of the season to April 10, Harper's percentage of good balls with inside balls was 44.2% (258th in the league). By Saturday, April 11, the percentage had dropped to 42.8 percent (241st in the league).

Yes, since Schwaber moved to four, Harper has seen fewer good balls. There is no need to read too much into the pitcher's cautious strategy with a particular hitter. "Every team will focus on what to focus on," Harper said, "just like we did with Ronald Acuña Jr., Shohei Ohtani or Judge." I've faced this strategy my entire career. "

Harper's percentage of over-the-top balls after April 11 (42.8%) is actually closer to his career average (42.0%). "They're always attacking corners," Harper said, "and that's the reality." "The key is to be patient and wait for the ball to be missed. 'Sometimes I do well, sometimes I don't, but I never miss a miss – even if it's just one or two per game. "

On Sunday night, Harper hit 3 hits without a hit, and his batting percentage of 0.237 and OPS 0.782 missed expectations. "It's going to come back," he said, "and now more than ever, I need to praise Schwaber – there's no substitute for his leadership." "