Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports
Harper Closing In On Milestone in his Phillies Tenure
In a sport with a far longer season and more room for oddities than any other major American sport, it seems the same story line is playing out for the Philadelphia Phillies. Despite superstar slugger Bryce Harper’s best efforts, the Philadelphia Phillies are failing to perform as true contenders.
Last year, Harper almost single handedly kept the club in contention prior to a season crushing sweep at the hands of the Atlanta Braves. The familiar foes stand in the way in 2022 through poor pitching and lackluster defense.
Harper’s performance in 2021 was enough to win the National League MVP award. However, a giant obstacle stands in his way of a title defense.
Bryce Harper Accepts his NL MVP Award with Mike Schmidt and John Middleton
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Old school thinking would arrive at the conclusion that Harper’s absence from right field would be a knock against him at season's end. On the other hand, his elite performance while battling through a UCL tear most certainly warrants respect.
On the season, Harper is slashing .305/.354/.586 with 10 homeruns and 32 RBI. His decreased walk-rate thus far has resulted in a lower OBP than Harper’s MVP 2021. In fact, his 6.9% walk rate is the lowest of his career thus far. This can be attributed to a clearly more aggressive approach at the plate.
Harper’s approach this year has been centered around one main aspect; driving in runs. Through all of last season, Harper managed to drive in 84 runs. Through just 42 games played, Harper would be on pace to record 107 RBI’s if he plays in 141 games this season, the same number of games he played last year.
Harper's RBI numbers are certainly aided by the increase of runners on base when he comes up to bat. However, it is Harper's pure inclusion in the lineup that allows his teammates to see better pitches. With all this in mind, where does this leave Harper in terms of individual achievements this year.
For all the big moments, and hardware that Harper has compiled since signing with Philadelphia, there’s been two milestones that have eluded him. It is no secret that Harper and the Phillies have not achieved any playoff berth. More surprisingly, the National League All-Star Roster has not included Harper since 2018, his last season in Washington. One of these things is certain to change.
In the National League, Harper ranks top ten in average, slugging, OPS, hits, runs, RBI, homeruns and doubles. For qualifying National League Designated Hitters, Harper leads in six major categories including average, OPS and WAR. These numbers not only justify Harper’s inclusion on the All-Star roster, but likely will result in the starting Designated Hitter job.
Philadelphia Phillies Designated Hitter Bryce Harper Watches his Go Ahead Home Run against the Atlanta Braves.
Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Unfortunately, this may be Harper’s main achievement when looking back on the 2022 campaign. At the start of June, the club sits 11.5 games back of the New York Mets and has four teams to jump to get into the last wild card spot.
With 114 games left to play, there is certainly time to turn the season around. In any such scenario, Harper would assuredly be the catalyst. Should the team continue to fall flat, that would create a massive knock on Harper’s MVP defense case.
Last season, Harper overtook Fernando Tatis Jr after the San Diego Padres collapsed late and held off Juan Soto of the torn down roster that was the Washington Nationals. Playing meaningful games through September was enough to help Harper’s case last year.
This year, voters may not look as favorably on the circumstances a second year in a row. Oftentimes, to repeat an MVP season, a player is expected to outperform not just the rest of the league, but their own previous seasons contributions.
While the odds may currently be stacked against Philadelphia and their soon-to-be All-Star slugger, the club needs to keep fighting. Not just so Harper has a shot at his third MVP of his career, but to return the Phillies to the playoffs for the first time since 2011 and Harper for the first time since 2017.
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