Philadelphia Phillies Need More From Their Future Hall of Famer

The Philadelphia Phillies have struggled to find consistent success this season, and a big part of that has been the lack of production from their future Hall of Fame first baseman.

Apr 26, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (3) celebrates after hitting a two-run double against the Chicago Cubs during the fourth inning at Wrigley Field. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

It has been nothing short of a roller coaster ride to start 2025 for the Philadelphia Phillies.

The team currently holds a 16-13 record, but the sentiment surrounding this group is not as positive as it may seem, especially because they currently sit in second place in the National League East behind the New York Mets.

While it is far too early to completely give up on the team and their World Series aspirations, it is not too early to start asking for more production from prominent members on the team.

One being future Hall of Famer Bryce Harper.

The superstar has been a key piece of the Phillies' offense throughout his tenure with the team.

Entering this season, he batted .285/.391/.533 with 152 home runs, 455 RBI and had a 149 OPS+ across 3,128 plate appearances in 726 games since 2019.

He is also one of only four active players in MLB who have hit 150 or more home runs with two different teams, with the others being Giancarlo Stanton, Manny Machado and Paul Goldschmidt.

While he has not been outright bad, Harper has not seen the same success at the plate this year that the baseball world has become accustomed to seeing.

Through 29 games, the first baseman has batted .231/.366/.417 with five home runs, 16 RBI and a 118 OPS+ across 131 plate appearances.

These struggles are not new for the superstar.

After being one of the best hitters in MLB across the first half of 2024 with a .301/.403/.580 line, 21 home runs and 61 RBI, Harper struggled down the stretch, batting only .266/.333/.460 with nine home runs and 26 RBI in the second half.

He turned things on in the postseason, though, batting .333/.529/.750 against the Mets with at least one hit in all four games.

The success Harper saw in the first half of 2024 helped lead Philadelphia to the best record in MLB entering the All-Star break. While the first baseman played in only 81 games to start last year, the team entered the break with a 62-34 record, the only club above the 60-win plateau at that time.

But, his struggles in the second half saw the team struggle, too.

Harper played in 64 games, and the team went 33-33 to close out the campaign.

As Harper goes, so go the Phillies.

While they have still been winning more than they have lost so far this year, it has not always been pretty, and many of the games have been much closer than they have any right to be.

Philadelphia needs much more from their future Hall of Famer if they are going to reach the heights they expected from themselves, and they need it in a bad way.