Philadelphia Phillies’ designated hitter Kyle Schwarber has undoubtedly been adored by the Philly faithful since joining the team after being acquired during free agency in 2022. From Schwarber’s Neighborhood Heroes fully immersing themselves in honoring the community’s veterans to Schwarber’s partnership with Yards Brewing Company, he has made his mark on this city with his time in Philadelphia, regardless of what his impending free agency might look like. While many initially assumed that he and the Phillies front office would agree to a deal sometime mid-season, given Schwarber’s success in the last year of his contract, both Schwarber’s camp and Dombrowski’s team decided to hold off on negotiations until after the 2025 season; however, many Phillies fans, including another Philly sports legend with just as much status as a city celebrity, hope to see Schwarber not only stay, but bring home the title of National League MVP.

The 2025 MVP race for the National League very well could see a first for the sport, with both the first and second place finishers amongst voters both being primary DHs with Schwarber making a case for himself against the Dodgers’ two-way star, and current frontrunner, Shohei Ohtani, who returned to the mound this season while putting up a stellar showing at the plate. Schwarber’s insanely impressive offensive metrics and incredibly clutch timing at the plate have genuinely made a case for this Philly favorite.

Kyle Schwarber with homer # 42 💣

Can he win his 1st MVP?pic.twitter.com/sGerbAKiUN

— Prospects Live (@ProspectsLive) August 12, 2025

Despite Ohtani’s versatility and overall dominance in the race as long as he wears a Dodgers uniform, Schwarber’s case is compelling, even if he’s only had seven starts in left field out of his 119 BPs, having the third most batting practice appearances in the NL this season. He currently ranks second in the National League in home runs with 42, just one behind the Dodgers’ cornerstone. Schwarber also ranks first in the league in RBIs with 97, and second in both slugging percentage (.578) and on-base plus slug (.951). Between the “MVP” chants that have erupted nightly at the Bank, plus an endorsement via a broadcast in which the Phillies were not playing, the hype around Schwarber’s case is growing beyond the Philadelphia sports scope. Barkley, who has always sung Schwarber’s praises, was a guest host on MLB Tonight’s “Crawsover Edition” as he joined Matt Vasgersian on the broadcast of a game between the Phillies’ rivals, the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets. During the fourth inning, as one of the team’s relievers, former Phillie Gregory Soto, began to warm up in the pen for the Mets, Barkley was reminiscing on some of the greatest power hitters he’s seen.

“The best I’ve ever seen is Barry Bonds…Albert Pujols was also mentioned after singing Bonds’ praises, but then Barkley immediately shifted gears, and in the same breath as mentioning Pujols, he says, “You know, right now…I think my boy Kyle Schwarber is going to steal the National League MVP,” with the rest of the broadcast team from MLB Tonight’s broadcast agreeing with the former eleven-time NBA All-Star, amplifying that there’s a case for this key player to the Phillies’ lineup.