The jersey retirement will be the eighth in MHS history and the first for a baseball player, though Schwarber also played linebacker on the football team.
Foust said it’s important to retire the jerseys of “true legends” to showcase their success in high school, college and the pros.
“Our community, our kids need to see that great success comes through Middletown,” Foust said.
Schwarber, 28, a 2011 MHS graduate, played baseball at Indiana University for three seasons, then was drafted in the first round of the 2014 MLB draft by the Chicago Cubs. He skyrocketed through Chicago’s minor league system and joined the Major League team in 2015.
In the third game of the 2016 regular season, Schwarber, playing left field for the Cubs, suffered a left knee injury that was supposed to sideline him until Spring Training 2017.
But he returned in time for the World Series and played a key role in the Cubs’ championship.
Since then, he has played for the Nationals and Red Sox and in six postseasons during his seven-year career. He’s a free agent after signing a one-year, $10 million deal last year with Washington. He finished the 2021 season with 32 homers and career highs in hitting (.266) and OPS (.928).
Schwarber and his wife, Paige, are building a home in the area and Foust said Schwarber frequently lifts weights at the high school and takes batting practice at Barnitz Stadium.
He also is helping promote youth baseball in Middletown by using his name as a way to raise recognition as part of Middie Way Baseball, a program that has been accepted into the Little League and plans to start its inaugural season in the spring.
Schwarber was expected to be inducted into the Middletown High School Athletic Hall of Fame this month, but that ceremony was postponed until March 5 due to COVID-19, Foust said. That’s about the time the Schwarbers are expecting their first child and Foust is hoping Schwarber will be in town and able to attend the ceremony.
HOW TO GO
WHAT: Retirement of Kyle Schwarber’s baseball jersey number
WHEN: Halftime of tonight’s boys basketball game between Middletown and Princeton
WHERE: Wade E. Miller Gym, Middletown High School
HOW MUCH: Tickets at the door are $6
MIDDLETOWN HIGH SCHOOL RETIRED NUMBERS
Basketball
11: Shelby Linville
13: Jerry Lucas
14: John Fraley
42: Butch Carter
51: Archie Aldridge
Baseball
12: Kyle Schwarber
Football
1: Cris Carter
83: Todd Bell
SOURCE: Middletown High School athletic department
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