Kyle Schwarber has emerged as the primary source of power for the Philadelphia Phillies, hitting his 24th home run of the season during Sunday Night Baseball against the New York Mets. Schwarber’s performance places him on track to reach 50 home runs this year, continuing his impressive power display in his third season with the Phillies. Meanwhile, the rest of the team’s offense has struggled significantly in generating home runs, raising concerns about the club’s overall power production in 2025.
Phillies’ Home Run Totals Fall Behind League Standards
The Phillies currently sit tied for 16th in MLB, alongside the Washington Nationals, with just 83 home runs this season. If this pace holds, Philadelphia will finish with approximately 173 home runs, marking their lowest full-season total since 2016. That year, Ryan Howard and Maikel Franco led the team with 25 home runs each, while the club hit just 161 home runs altogether.
Through 78 games, Schwarber is the only Phillie to reach double digits in home runs. Trea Turner, with nine homers, is the closest teammate to reach ten, although all of Turner’s home runs this year have come on the road. Max Kepler and Bryce Harper are also near that mark, each sitting on nine home runs, but neither has been able to maintain consistent playing time recently. Harper’s return from injury could boost the lineup’s power output soon.
Key Lineup Players Display Limited Power
Power production beyond Schwarber remains sparse among the Phillies’ regulars. Cleanup hitter Nick Castellanos has managed only eight home runs, while Alec Bohm has seven. Other everyday players like J.T. Realmuto and Bryson Stott have five home runs each, and Brandon Marsh has only two six months into the campaign. This power drought contrasts sharply with other top National League teams that feature multiple players with ten or more home runs.
The Chicago Cubs boast six players with double-digit home runs, the Los Angeles Dodgers have five, and teams such as the Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Mets each have four. Further, the San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres, and Milwaukee Brewers all feature at least three players with ten or more home runs. This distribution highlights the Phillies’ unusual lack of power contributors outside Schwarber.
Manager Confident Power Will Resurface
Despite the Phillies’ home run struggles, manager Rob Thomson expressed confidence that the power surge is forthcoming.
“I’m not concerned about it yet, but I think it’s coming,”
Thomson said before Sunday’s game.
“I think we’ve done a good job of creating runs when we have to, by stealing bases. We’re moving runners. We’ve had a few hit-and-runs and we’ve had some bunting. We’re doing some things to create runs, but I truly believe the home runs are coming.”
Historical Context Shows Hope for Second-Half Improvement
The Phillies experienced a similar first-half power drought in 2023 but rebounded dramatically in the season’s second half. Through 78 games in 2023, they had 84 home runs, only slightly more than their current pace this year. It wasn’t until late June that Nick Castellanos joined Schwarber with double-digit homers. After June 29, however, Philadelphia’s offense exploded, ranking second in MLB with 135 home runs despite trailing only the dominant Atlanta Braves.
Most Phillies regulars increased their home run totals substantially in the latter half of 2023, with Bryce Harper showing the greatest improvement. Returning from Tommy John surgery in early May, Harper slowly regained power, hitting 18 home runs in the final three months after slamming just three in his first 47 games. If Harper’s health stabilizes, he could play a key role in reigniting the team’s power output this season.
Schwarber’s Continued Power Production Offers Encouragement
Kyle Schwarber has also demonstrated a tendency to boost his power numbers after midseason. In each of his Phillies seasons, he either matched or surpassed his cumulative home run totals from March through June during the months of July, August, and September. Given that 2025 is a contract year for Schwarber, the possibility that he could hit 50 home runs would mark a significant personal and team milestone.
While the Phillies’ overall power shortage remains a pressing concern, Schwarber’s consistent slugging and the potential return to health of contributors like Bryce Harper offer some hope for a surge in home runs during the second half of the season. Whether Philadelphia can overcome this extended power drought will largely depend on these factors as they aim to solidify their standing among National League contenders.