Bryce Harper – The Forgotten Phillie?
All offseason long, the national focus on the Philadelphia Phillies revolved around the quest to re-sign J.T. Realmuto, the disaster of a bullpen, and the team’s immense financial losses.
And understandably so, at least in regards to the first two.
The team needs Realmuto to challenge for a playoff spot, and last season’s bullpen was one of the worst pens in the history of the game.
But all of that begs the question, is Bryce Harper forgotten about?
Look, I know how ridiculous that sounds at face value. He’s two years into a 13-year, $330 million contract. He continues to ingratiate himself with Phillies fans (and the Phillie Phanatic), is a leader on the team, and seems like he’s a leader in the front office as well. However, it’s hard to shake the feeling that he’s almost an afterthought, at least nationally.
Maybe some of that stems from the fact that he’s seemingly been surpassed as one of the faces of baseball by the likes of Fernando Tatis, Mookie Betts, and Ronald Acuna Jr. Maybe some of it comes from the unfounded hatred some people have of Harper. When he signed that contract in 2019, the national media erupted at how insane it was and expected him to play every game, every season, as he did in his MVP campaign in 2015. And when he failed to match that incredible season, the media felt vindicated and began brushing him to the side.
But Harper’s had two quietly great seasons in Philly. He set a career-high in RBI in 2019 with 114. Last season, he led all of baseball with 49 walks, had the third-best OPS of his career with .962, and with a .268 average, he was just a handful of points off his career average of .276. And if it weren’t for a bad back at the end of the year, those numbers would have been even better.
Before he signed with the Phillies, Harper’s poor defense was in the spotlight. His runs saved dropped dramatically in 2018. But like a true leader, Harper fixed it and had the biggest increase in runs saved in baseball in 2019. He hustles on the base paths on a nightly basis. He’s everything the Phillies expected from him and more. I can’t think of a player who ingratiated himself with the fans quicker than Harper.
But back to being forgotten.
When it comes to division predictions, the Phillies are always towards the bottom of the list. The Mets, Nationals, and Braves all get more love than the Phillies. Why? The Phillies have a weaker rotation. They didn’t do enough to address the bullpen. Their defense is a liability. Some true, some false. But zero mention of an offense that was one of the best in baseball last season. Zero mention of Harper, who feels primed to have a monster season.
That’s fine. Keep the focus on the other teams in the division. Keep forgetting that Harper is capable of carrying a team on his back for weeks on end.
When Harper and the Phillies have a magical 2021, maybe then Harper will finally get the respect he deserves.
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