Shohei Ohtani‘s crown is in greater danger than ever. Kyle Schwarber is once again heating up with the bat, challenging all season predictions, as he’s arguably the only player doing what it takes to be considered the National League MVP over the Japanese star.
On Thursday, the Philadelphia Phillies slugger backed up the predictions of two experts by hitting four home runs in a game against the Atlanta Braves.
Can Kyle Schwarber win the MVP over Ohtani?
At least in the home run crown race, Schwarber suddenly closed the gap to just one behind Cal Raleigh across all of MLB (50) and four ahead of Ohtani (45), after becoming the 21st player in Major League history to hit four home runs in a single game.
Hours before the game, Jesse Rogers and Buster Olney, from ESPN, agreed that the Phillies star would take the home run title from the Japanese phenom, when they were still tied at 45 home runs. Now, Schwarber has pulled ahead and reopened his case for MVP.
“Schwarber will win the home run title, hitting 56 this season,” wrote Rogers. “He has historically slugged well in September, and this year will be no exception. In his career, he has produced his second-highest slugging percentage (.521) in September, trailing only June. Ohtani is also good late in the year, but this is turning into a very special season for the Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter. He’s slugging .577 against left-handed pitching, which will translate into a couple more homers off lefties in September and be the difference in the home run race.”
“Schwarber will win the title, but he’ll reach 59,” wrote Olney. “He has figured out how to hit left-handers-stand in the box, take the HBPs, and square up everything-and has absurdly even splits, with a .946 OPS against right-handers and .943 against lefties. And as strong as he has been this season, he’s just getting warmed up, with 20 homers in his past 45 games.”
The comments from both experts came before Schwarber hit his four home runs, but one thing needs to be clarified: the Los Angeles Dodgers have a softer schedule, which works in favor of the three-time MVP.
The big question is whether, in the end, Schwarber can win the MVP. Let’s be honest-if Shohei Ohtani didn’t exist, it would be a straightforward case for him.
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