Why this Minnesota Twins slugging outfielder could be the next Kyle Schwarber

Twins' Matt Wallner might be younger version of Phillies' Kyle Schwarber

When Matt Wallner was named the Twins' leadoff batter on opening day this season, it was hard not to draw a comparison to the Phillies occasionally utilizing designated hitter Kyle Schwarber in the leadoff spot.

Although Wallner has moved out of the leadoff spot for now, and Schwarber has mostly hit second or in the middle of the lineup this season, there are still many noticeable similarities between the two. First off, both are power-hitting left-handed hitters with high walk rates and high strikeout rates. And while Schwarber mainly serves as a designated hitter at this point in his career, his main position on the field has been corner outfield, which is where Wallner plays, for the majority of his career.

Schwarber has consistently been a poor defender in the big leagues, accumulating -68 outs above average throughout his 11-year career. Wallner has also been a poor defender in the major leagues, posting -11 outs above average since making his MLB debut in 2022. Additionally, Wallner has typically been faster than Schwarber, but both are currently below-average runners compared to the rest of the league. They both have good arms as well.

Now, let's look at the offensive stats. Through Schwarber's first 906 plate appearances, the former Cub hit .225/.334/.472 for a 115 wRC+ with 53 home runs and 120 RBIs. Wallner has actually posted better numbers than Schwarber through his first 908 plate appearances (which range from 2022 until last Saturday), hitting .237/.349/.497 for a 136 wRC+ with 49 home runs and 123 RBIs.

Granted, Wallner is already 27 years old, and Schwarber was just 25 years old through his first 906 plate appearances. Still, the similarities cannot be ignored. And if we want to look at production through age 27, Wallner is still on par with Schwarber; Wallner has been worth 5.1 bWAR thus far in his career, while Schwarber was worth 5.4 bWAR through his age-27 season. Granted, Schwarber suffered an injury that kept him out almost the entire 2016 season before he became a World Series hero and dealt with the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, but Wallner also dealt with a brutal injury earlier this year and has had a couple of stints with Triple-A St. Paul amid his Major League career.

Many Twins fans might want Wallner gone after this season, considering his high strikeout rate (28.9%) and low batting average (.213) this year. However, he has still managed to post a 120 wRC+ and hit 20 homers this season, making him a valuable player.

The Twins should avoid making a similar mistake to the Chicago Cubs, who non-tendered Schwarber following the 2020 season, by including Wallner in their future plans. Schwarber has undoubtedly made the Cubs regret their decision to let him go, as he has been one of the best home run hitters in the league with Philadelphia over the past few seasons and will likely be this year's National League MVP runner-up behind Shohei Ohtani, as the Phillies' designated hitter is slashing .247/.367/.581 for a 156 wRC+ with 49 homers and 119 RBIs this season.

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