Once he rejects his qualifying offer, Kyle Schwarber will hit free agency, allowing him to sign with any of the 30 MLB teams following a career year. Schwarber has always been one of the game's premier sluggers, but never had he performed at an MVP caliber before he did so in 2025. But while Schwarber will certainly be eager to earn as much money as possible following his outstanding season, he ought to consider one connection many don't talk about enough: the one he has with Philly hitting coach Kevin Long.
Long went into detail with Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer ($), going over Schwarber's value to the Philadelphia Phillies and whether he thought the designated hitter would re-sign with the club.
"So, what does it come down to? What’s his market value, and are we willing to give him his market value? And I think the answer is yes to that. And when you put all that into the equation, I think there’s a strong chance that Kyle comes back. I think it would be devastating to this organization and this fan base and everybody involved if he wasn’t a Phillie. So we’ll see where it ends up, but I feel very confident that he’ll be back," Long said.
Long makes it clear that he needs Schwarber back, and when you really think about it, why would Schwarber leave?
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Kyle Schwarber should think long and hard before abandoning Kevin Long
Rarely do star free agents make a life-changing decision based on the hitting coach, but rarely has the connection between a hitting coach and a star been so prominent. Long is one of the best hitting coaches in the game, and the impact he's had on Schwarber's career is obvious.
What Schwarber has done in Philadelphia cannot be overlooked. It feels like he's gotten better every year, not only as a slugger but as a pure hitter. Sure, Schwarber still strikes out a lot and won't ever hit for a very high average, but something notable that's happened during his Phillies tenure is his improvement against left-handed pitching.
Season | Schwarber OPS vs. LHP | Schwarber OPS vs. RHP |
|---|---|---|
2022 | .687 | .900 |
2023 | .758 | .849 |
2024 | .898 | .824 |
2025 | .964 | .904 |
Schwarber has gotten noticeably better against lefties every year during his Phillies run. Not only is he elite against southpaws, but he's been better against lefties than righties the last couple of seasons. Schwarber obviously deserves credit for executing, but Long is the hitting coach who worked with him to have better results and turn a weakness into a strength.
“It’s work,” Long said in a May article for The Athletic. “It’s willing yourself. It is understanding what a lefty is trying to do to you. Understanding the angles. Understanding what pitches do against lefties. He’s got a really good grasp on it. He’s shortened his swing since the time I met him to where he is now.”
Kevin Long helped Kyle Schwarber revive his career before joining the Phillies
Schwarber has been at his best under Long in Philadelphia, but the work this duo did together in 2019 with the Washington Nationals cannot be overlooked, either. After a wildly disappointing 2020 campaign, which saw Schwarber post a .701 OPS, the Chicago Cubs opted to non-tender the slugger rather than bring him back for 2021. This allowed Schwarber to sign a one-year prove-it deal with Washington. He proved it, thanks to some help from Long.
Schwarber had a .910 OPS in 72 games that season before getting traded at the deadline to the Boston Red Sox. Notably, Schwarber, a hitter who was mainly brought to D.C. as a platoon player, improved against left-handed pitching under Long's tutelage.
“It’s nothing like you see now,” Long said. “The consistency is much better than it was then. But I think it’s just four years of doing the same thing and being intelligent with his work and his process and then figuring out whatever adjustments he needs to make.”
Long got Schwarber in the batting cages more consistently than he ever had, and the results have followed.
Phillies have clear leg up in Kyle Schwarber sweepstakes
Can Schwarber really leave this guy? Again, Schwarber deserves a ton of credit for executing, but Long certainly helped revive his career. Can he risk life without Long in his ear? Who is a better fit to be Schwarber's hitting coach as he ages?
Schwarber, by all accounts, loves it in Philadelphia. The Phillies are competitive, the team and fans love him and Schwarber's long-time hitting coach, the man whom he's had by far the most success with, is there. Why exactly would he leave?
Money talks, obviously, but it'd be hard to envision Schwarber leaving the Phillies barring a truly outrageous offer, because of everything that franchise has to offer him. Long is a huge piece of that.