Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Detroit Tigers at Citizens Bank Park on August 3, 2025. (Grace Del Pizzo/On Pattison)
The "MVP!" chants for Kyle Schwarber at Citizens Bank Park got louder during the latest homestand. So where does Schwarber actually stand in the NL MVP race?
Here's an updated look at where he ranks in some key categories:
Home Runs: Schwarber's 40 home runs are the top mark in the NL, one more than reigning NL MVP Shohei Ohtani.
RBIs: Schwarber's 94 RBIs are the top mark in all of baseball, three more than Pete Alonso.
Walks: Schwarber's 75 walks are tied with Kyle Tucker for third among players in the senior circuit, trailing Juan Soto (87) and Rafael Devers (83).
WAR: According to FanGraphs, Schwarber's 3.9 WAR is tied for eighth among NL players with Kyle Stowers and Elly De La Cruz. It is already a career-high, but it's fair to wonder if WAR is the best way to calculate the value of a full-time DH. Pete Crow-Armstrong leads the NL with a 5.7 WAR. That includes his value as one of the game's elite defenders. If you do believe WAR is a good way to evaluate DHs, Schwarber is tracking well behind the 5.1 WAR that Ohtani has just as a hitter.
OPS: Schwarber's .965 OPS is second in the NL, behind only Ohtani (.987).
Kyle Schwarber answers the MVP chants with home run #40, and it's a GRAND SLAM!!! pic.twitter.com/5WeUxSM4Cq
Clearly, from an offensive perspective, Schwarber is very much in the NL MVP race. There are still some voters who will scoff at the idea of a DH being the most valuable player in the league, but Ohtani broke the glass ceiling last year by becoming the first full-time DH to win an MVP (he didn't pitch at all in 2024). Granted, he hit 54 home runs and also stole 59 bases, but Ohtani proved a year ago that while the standard is always going to be higher for a DH to win MVP, it is doable. Think about it, Ryan Howard had minus-nine defensive runs saved at first base in 2006 when he won NL MVP. Would Howard really not have been deserving if the DH had been universal at that time and he hit .313 with 58 home runs, 149 RBIs, 108 walks and a 1.084 OPS without playing regularly in the field?
The best path for Schwarber to win NL MVP would be for him to break Howard's single-season franchise record of 58 home runs. Ideally, he would get to at least 60. That's probably not going to happen, but with 40 home runs before mid-August, it's not impossible. But the best way for Schwarber to silence critics of him being almost exclusively a DH would be for his offensive numbers to be so overwhelmingly undeniable.
Even still, there will be some who prefer a more traditional candidate like the aforementioned Crow-Armstrong. PCA is having an incredible all-around year for the Cubs. Not only has he hit 27 home runs, but he has 78 RBIs, 29 stolen bases and a staggering 19 defensive runs saved in center field. The 23-year-old is a legitimate force to be reckoned with in this race, especially if he holds onto his lead for the top WAR in the NL.
However, the biggest obstacle for Schwarber to win NL MVP continues to be Ohtani.
All the arguments made for how Schwarber's offensive numbers have been so incredible that he has to be in the discussion even as a DH are legitimate, but they all apply as much or more for Ohtani. Entering play Friday, Ohtani leads the NL in slugging percentage (.606), OPS (.987), OPS+ (172), total bases (268) and runs scored (106). He's probably going to hit 50+ home runs for the second year in a row, and could easily end up with as many or more than Schwarber.
Ohtani's offensive numbers alone might be enough for him to win NL MVP, but if not, he's back on the mound again, too. Granted, the Los Angeles Dodgers have been cautious with his workload considering he's still building up after his second major elbow surgery, but Ohtani has only added to his case as a pitcher. Across 19 innings, Ohtani has a 2.37 ERA, 1.95 FIP and 25 strikeouts.
Has Ohtani broken the MVP? Yes. If he's going to be a star hitter and pitcher, he's going to win the MVP every season. And he should. We've never seen anything like this. That's why if Ohtani wins NL MVP this year, he'll become just the second player in MLB history to win four MVPs, joining Barry Bonds, who won seven.
Still, it's remarkable for Schwarber to even be in this mix. It's a testament to the fact that he just keeps getting better, even at age 32. It's why there's reason to think he'll age well if the Phillies re-sign him for four or five years in the offseason. He may be destined to finish second or third in NL MVP race, but there's little question about the value Schwarber brings to the Phillies.
