Business As Usual: Kyle Schwarber blasts 438-foot HR in his first Spring at-bat

Kyle Schwarber led the National League with 56 home runs last season and apparently saw no reason to ease into things this spring. First at-bat of the Grapefruit League schedule against Pittsburgh’s Braxton Ashcraft, 108.7 mph off the bat, 438 feet to right field. Just a casual bomb to open camp.

Kyle Schwarber. RING IT

Kyle Schwarber. Ring It. 🔔#RingTheBell | #Phillies pic.twitter.com/iPifpbjNgU

— The Liberty Line (@LibertyLinePHL) February 22, 2026

“I got a good swing off,” Schwarber said. “But the wind was blowing and that made it look further.”

Sure Kyle. The wind.

The funny thing about Kyle Schwarber and Spring Training is that his numbers in February and March are historically terrible and it never matters even a little bit.

Last year he hit .184 with two home runs in spring. The year before that he hit .132 with zero. He then went out and finished second in NL MVP voting.

At some point you just have to accept that Schwarber is a different animal and spring training stats are completely meaningless for a player like him. He uses this time to get his mechanics right and his timing sharp.

The results take care of themselves once the real games start.

And the real games start earlier than usual this year. Kyle Schwarber is on Team USA for the World Baseball Classic with the first game on March 6, which means Thomson and the Phillies are essentially using this spring to get him ready for that tournament first and Opening Day second. Not a bad problem to have.

Thomson had good things to say about where Kyle Schwarber is as a hitter beyond just the power, noting that he understands the strike zone, handles velocity and off-speed, and can use the whole field. That tracks. The 56 home runs get the attention but Schwarber has quietly become a much more complete hitter than he gets credit for.

One note worth keeping an eye on…

Aidan Miller is dealing with a sore lower back and has missed the first two games of camp. Thomson says it is not serious and they are just being cautious early. Hopefully it stays that way because Miller is one of the more exciting prospects in the organization and you want him healthy and getting reps this spring.

Phillies head to the East Coast Monday against Washington in West Palm Beach and Tuesday against Miami in Jupiter. The band is getting warmed up.

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