What Can Schwarber's Playoff Pedigree Bring to the Phillies?

October baseball is something that has eluded the Philadelphia Phillies for over a decade, however, their most recent signing may help end the drought.

Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

While the Philadelphia Phillies may have looked like playoff contenders on paper with Bryce Harper leading their offense, they've been unsuccessful in bringing October baseball back to Philadelphia so far.

Following Philadelphia's elimination from playoff contention in 2021, President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski said that the Phillies would "need to get some better players around us... get somebody that has a winning mentality."

One of Philadelphia's most recent signings may just fit that mold as Kyle Schwarber joins the club with immense playoff experience, and above all, a World Series ring.

Throughout the 11 playoff series that Schwarber has appeared in, he slashed .255/.359/.518 with nine home runs and 17 RBI.

When asked about what his postseason experience can bring to the Phillies' clubhouse, manager Joe Girardi said that it has the potential to be an infectious energy for the rest of the players.

"I think it's really big, it's understanding what it takes, understanding how you need to perform every day and be prepared, understanding how it feels..." said Girardi. "This attitude, and you bring in Nick [Castellanos] whose been in the playoffs, it becomes infectious and the guys get the feeling of what it takes."

This infectious energy is something that may have already spread throughout the locker room as Bryce Harper stated in a recent episode of "Take Off with John Clark," he and the rest of the team want to do everything they can to lift the World Series trophy.

"I don't want to just win the division and get into the first round or anything like that," said Harper. "You know we want to, as a team, be able to get deep into the playoffs, get deep into October and bring that back into the city and get fans excited again."

The winning mentality that Dombrowski longed for at the end of last season is something that is essential to Schwarber's mantra. "Look, I'm in the business of winning baseball games," said Schwarber.

When it came to pursuing Schwarber, his playoff experience is something that was looked at highly according to both Girardi and Dombrowski.

"It wasn't just his talent, [which is] why we targetted Kyle from the beginning," said Girardi, "it's the attitude and mentality that he's going to bring to our club that we're really excited about."

"You try to evaluate the club... and you look at where you may be able to improve yourself and how you may be able to improve yourself... we didn't have playoff experience." said Dombrowski. "You see little things that make a difference and I believe with what Kyle bring to the club... we needed to have someone with that type of experience for us."

It's clear that the Phillies management feels like they've made the right move to aid their mission of making the playoffs. For now, Phillies fans will have to wait and see how Schwarber impacts the Phillies during the regular season and helps to break a 10-year playoff drought.

More From SI's Inside The Phillies:

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2. Assessing the Phillies' Center Field Decision
3. Dombrowski and Girardi Speak From Phillies Spring Training
4. Will Zack Wheeler be Ready for Opening Day?
5. How did Philadelphia end up with Citizens Bank Park?
6. How the Phillie Phanatic Came to be America's Favorite Sports Mascot
7. How Mike Trout Will Join the Phillies
8. Predicting the Phillies 2022 Opening Day Roster
9. Picking the Phillies' All-Time Single Season Lineup
10. The Sad Story of the Phillies' First Black Ballplayer

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