Harper Talks About Variety Of Subjects In Esquire Interview

Bryce Harper opened up about a variety of topics in a wide-ranging interview with Brady Langmann of Esquire magazine.

Here’s a sampling of the interview subjects with the Philadelphia Phillies’ standout designated hitter and right fielder:

On his recovery from Tommy John surgery: “I really try to take it day by day, because it's such a long process. My brother's gone through Tommy John surgery, and a lot of friends have gone through it. If I'm sore, or if I'm feeling really good, I'm grateful for the process. So I don't think there's any rush behind what I'm trying to do. The biggest thing is just being healthy and making sure my mind's good and my body's good. When that time comes for me to start doing certain things in the baseball category, then we'll be there.”

On handling the mental side of the recovery: “You find the gratitude with it. Of course, I want to be getting to spring training, be around my team, things like that. I have the itch to go out and hit — but at the same time, it's okay. I'm going to get to that point. But I enjoy being at home and being around my family, and learning new things outside of just baseball.”

On being featured on Sports Illustrated’s cover story at the age of 16: “It was just always a stepping stone to my next thing. From the time I started when I was 10, 11 years old, I always had the expectations of trying to be great. But I had an incredible dad and mom that kept me on that path of: "Go out and ride your skateboard, you can get away from the game and not just be so surrounded by it all the time." I had getaways.

“Once I knew I needed to get back to work, I'd get back to work, but my parents never really pushed me to do something that I didn't want to do. It was more: "Hey, you want to be great at what you want to do? We can't pay for you to get into school. You have to go and earn a scholarship in the classroom and on the baseball field." Those were the main reasons why me and my brother played, because this is our way out of getting into college. The Sports Illustrated article, it was another article at the time. Of course, it was very big. Being on the cover, I was very excited. [Tom] Verducci did a great job. But it came with expectations and I totally understood that.”

On the aftermath of losing in Game 6 of the World Series: “So game six, we lose. I come up the tunnel, pack my bag, change, say goodbye to teammates at that time. But I remember after the game I said to the media, "I'm excited about next year — because I know that after losing this, everyone has gotten a taste, so they're going to try everything in their power to get us back to this moment." Houston was a great team. They had great pitching, timely hitting, and they just beat us. Getting back from the clubhouse, I got on the bus and I was one of the first guys out. So I got back, gave my wife a hug, and was upset—but was also looking forward to that next season.

“The biggest thing in baseball — and you can say this with every sport — is you're never going to have the same team again. Every team is always going to be different. So you have a group of guys that could have won a World Series or got into the playoffs, and that will be the only time that that team will ever be together. You're sad about the emotional toll of not having the guys with you that you just battled with all year. But I gave my kids hugs and of course they're screaming, "Daddy!" They're excited and happy. So you just have to understand that sometimes that happens—and you're grateful for the moment and the opportunity to be there. We didn't get the job done. We all know that. We're on that unfinished business tour this year, and we're excited to hopefully get those two more wins and be World Champs.”

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