"I’m gonna respect someone until you give me a reason not to" – Kyle Schwarber reveals the leadership values behind his success

The big-league journey began for Kyle Schwarber with the Chicago Cubs in 2015 at just 22 years of age. Though he only played two games in the Cubs' historic 2016 World Series season due to a devastating knee injury, he remained a leader in the dugout while quickly working his way back onto the field to partake in five playoff games.

His leadership and commitment to putting the team first carried over during stints with the Washington Nationals and Boston Red Sox in 2021, before moving on to Philadelphia. He's become a key component of the Phillies' recent turnaround, helping the team punch playoff tickets in the last three years.

Whether he likes it or not, Kyle Schwarber is a team leader for the Phillies. On Thursday, he sat down with A.J. Pierzynski for an episode of the Foul Territory podcast to reveal the leadership values behind his success.

"Never judge a book by its cover," Schwarber said. "I'm going to respect someone until you give me a reason not to respect you."

"Coming from where I came from is a part of it," Schwarber added.

"What my parents did. My dad was a police officer for over 30 years. Just the way he interacted with people, I think that is a big way of looking at it."

Kyle Schwarber shared a story about being at a gas station with his dad one day, and a man with tattoos covering every inch of his body approached them. They walked away to have a discussion, and when his dad returned, Kyle asked his Dad what it was all about. His dad told his son that he had arrested that man 20 years prior and he was just thanking him.

Phil Jackson was once quoted as saying, "Leadership is not about being in charge. It is taking care of those in charge." It looks like Schwarber has taken a page out of the legendary NBA head coach's book.

Kyle Schwarber: The Phillies' consummate team player

MLB: Philadelphia Phillies at New York Mets - Source: Imagn

Coming off a year in which he batted leadoff for the Phillies, Kyle Schwarber produced the most valuable season of his 10-year career playing to a 3.5 WAR. He slashed .248/.366/.485, took a career-high 106 walks, tied his career-high of 104 RBIs and launched 38 balls into the cheap seats.

His production helped guide the Phillies to the NL East pennant and reach the playoffs a third straight year. Earlier this week, it was reported that Schwarber will be pushed down the order in favor of Trea Turner with management wanting to optimize the lineup's effectiveness.

In true Kyle Schwarber fashion, no complaining was heard. No whining about the team not giving him the respect last year's numbers deserved. Only this:

"I'm just a player, and, you know, wherever my name's going to get written in that lineup, I'm going to do it to the best of my abilities," Schwarber said. "I mean, whether it's leadoff, the four-hole, two, nine, whatever it is, you know, I'm going to go out there and I'm going to freaking do what I need to do to try to help the team win."

The man just keeps winning your heart over and over again.