Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber finishes second in NL MVP voting; Trea Turner lands in fifth place
A season filled with “MVP” chants at Citizens Bank Park landed Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber a second-pace nod for the award.
While Dodgers two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani was unanimously named National League MVP for the second year in a row on Thursday night, Schwarber earned 23 of 30 second-place votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association to finish as the runner-up. Mets outfielder Juan Soto finished in third place for the award.
Phillies shortstop Trea Turner finished in fifth place with one third-place vote after winning the NL batting title (.304) and putting together an improved defensive showing, while left-hander Cristopher Sánchez landed in 15th place with 16 points.
Schwarber, who is now a free agent after a career year in Philadelphia, batted .240 with an NL-best 56 home runs, a big-league-leading 132 RBIs and a .928 OPS. The designated hitter became the second Phillies player to reach the 50-homer mark, nearly matching Ryan Howard’s franchise record of 58. Schwarber appeared in all 162 games, hit 23 home runs off left-hander pitchers as a lefty batter and often carried Philadelphia’s offense with an impressive display of power.
While Schwarber’s bat was one of the best in baseball, Ohtani’s might have been even better. The Los Angeles superstar hit 55 home runs, led the majors with 146 runs scored and had the top slugging percentage and OPS in the NL. The generational Ohtani added 14 starts on the mound with a 2.87 ERA in 47 innings to lift him to the landslide award victory. He now has four career MVPs, two in the NL and two in the American League.
Still, Schwarber’s campaign was a memorable one. He hit his 300th home run in May, won All-Star Game MVP in July and hit four homers in a game in August. He drew huge cheers as the home crowd anticipated his presence and mighty swings. He turned in a season that will make him one of the most coveted hitters in free agency this winter.
Six Phillies players have won at least one MVP with the team: Bryce Harper (2021), Jimmy Rollins (2007), Howard (2006), Mike Schmidt (1980, 1981, 1986), Jim Konstanty (1950) and Chuck Klein (1932). Time will tell if Schwarber will be back with the club for another chance to become the seventh.
Turner might have finished higher than fifth if not for a late-season hamstring strain that cost him a large chunk of September. He had 179 hits and an .812 OPS in his best all-around season in Philadelphia. Sánchez, who has emerged as one of the top starting pitchers in the major leagues, finished second in NL Cy Young voting in addition to garnering some down-ballot votes in the MVP race.