It’s not fair or accurate to lump all of the praise onto a single person for the Phillies dramatic turnaround that’s seen them go from 10 games under .500 to knocking on the door of the NL East division lead. It’s been a concerted team effort, with contributions and heroes all throughout the clubhouse.
However, it’s also fair to point out that some of the contributions stand out above the others. Two of the Phillies’ biggest stars in Kyle Schwarber and Jhoan Duran have been right in the middle of their
success. Schwarber became the first player to 30 home runs this season, setting a record for the fastest number of games to accomplish the feat in Phillies history. Duran meanwhile had a consecutive saves streak of 16 to begin the season and has been every bit of an elite closer.
Schwarber’s herculean performance has allowed the team to weather the storm of the vast underperformance of the rest of their lineup sans Bryce Harper and Brandon Marsh. In much the same vein, Duran has provided a sense of steadiness and shortened games for a bullpen in flux who has had its share of problems in getting him the ball with a lead on occasion. His presence has allowed Don Mattingly to work backwards with pitching decisions, knowing that Duran has the ninth covered and is willing to pitch almost whenever called upon.
It may seem as though it’s not an apples-to-apples comparison, as one player plays every day and one is a reliever. But look no further than the Washington series to see what can happen if you don’t have a bullpen anchor despite receiving good offensive production. So, who do you think is more valuable to the Phillies right now: Kyle Schwarber or Jhoan Duran?
