Kyle Schwarber’s power surge is a bit of a mystery, and that’s fine with the Nationals

In his career, Schwarber has crushed sinkers and been an above-average hitter against four-seam fastballs. In 2021, his hard-hit percentage is 60 on each pitch. In other words, fastballs to Schwarber are good for the Nationals, while off-speed pitches — curves, sliders, change-ups — tend to give him trouble. But even his nine leadoff homers show a lack of obvious trends. They’ve come on an 0-1 four-seam fastball, a 1-2 four-seam fastball, a 2-1 change-up, a 1-0 curve, an 0-1 four-seam fastball, a 1-1 change-up, an 0-1 sinker, a 3-2 sinker and a 2-0 four-seam fastball.