Washington Nationals: This Kyle Schwarber statistic may surprise you

If only Kyle Schwarber‘s bat was as good as his right arm. If only we knew how good Schwarber’s arm was before we ridiculed him for his defense. On a night when runs were at a premium early, it was Schwarber’s right arm which kept the game close enough for Nationals hitters to try and salvage a comeback win.

In the top of the fifth inning Bryce Harper ripped a single to left field. Schwarber grabbed the ball on one hop and fired a strike to catcher Alex Avila to nab a hustling Odubel Herrera at the plate. Only a perfect throw gets him. Exactly what Schwarber unleashed.

Washington Nationals fans thought defense was going to be an issue for Kyle Schwarber, hasn’t happened.

Schwarber doesn’t hit for average, never has. Schwarber strikes out a lot, always has. Schwarber has had poor defensive numbers, though the tide is turning on that one. When the Nationals signed Schwarber in the offseason the skeptics called foul. This is who you are moving Juan Soto to right field for? Schwarber may hit a few home runs, though he’ll cost you just as many runs playing the outfield. Schwarber is slow and takes bad routes to the ball. All of these were credible responses.

District on Deck’s Max Rayman wrote about the improved defense for the Nationals this year, and it begins with Kyle Schwarber. His Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) is a positive number for the first time in three years. He has made more plays out of his zone (OOZ) than both Juan Soto and Victor Robles, and by gunning down Herrera, he has now 31 outfield assists since 2017.

While the lack of offense from Schwarber has been a let down this year, the defense has not. Currently hitting .191 with just three home runs through 100+ at-bats, Schwarber needs to pick it up offensively to make the defense worth while. At the moment, though, we’ll gladly take the superb defense.