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Philadelphia Phillies' Kyle Schwarber has continued to showcase why he is one of the best home run hitters in Major League Baseball, as he leads MLB with 30 home runs.
The Phillies' designated hitter, in contrast, is leading Major League Baseball in strikeouts (122) and is on pace to surpass the single-season strikeout record; Mark Reynolds had 223 strikeouts in 2009. Despite this, the three-time All-Star is putting himself in a position to finish in the top three of the National League MVP voting.
Kyle Schwarber continues to make his case for the NL MVP, but it likely won't work
Even though Schwarber is striking out at a high clip (career-high 34.0% strikeout percentage), he has increased his line drive percentage (career-high of 28.3%), leading to his .253 batting average. Schwarber's strong showing this season won't win him the National League MVP Award, but he will possibly finish in the top three.
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In MLB.com's latest poll of who will win the National and American League MVP Awards, Schwarber finished in third behind Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani (first with 161 total points and 30 first-place votes) and Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (second with 85 total points and two first-place votes).
"Schwarbs just continues to crush baseballs," wrote Jason Foster of MLB.com. "He launched his MLB-leading 30th homer on Sunday, while no other big league hitter had more than 25. His .591 slugging percentage is best in the NL, while his .962 OPS ranks second. He had 178 total bases on the season entering Monday, also best in the Senior Circuit. Schwarber finished second in NL MVP voting last season. A similarly strong showing appears to be on tap this season."
No matter what Schwarber does the rest of the season, which could include hitting 60 home runs, it may not be enough to overtake Ohtani, whose pitching abilities are helping his MVP chances.
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