CLEARWATER, Fla. — When Bryce Harper looked back at his 2025 season, he wasn’t thrilled.
It was not up to standards, though Harper said he felt it was good in light of the wrist injury that sidelined him for nearly a month. Still, Harper was surprised when he learned president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said he did not have an elite season and it was to be determined whether he could return to his elite level.
“I don’t get motivated by that kind of stuff,” Harper said. “For me, it was wild — the whole situation happening. The big thing for me was, when we first met with this organization, it was, ‘Hey, we’re always going to keep things in-house, and we expect you to do the same thing.’ So, when that didn’t happen, it kind of took me for a run a little bit.
“Obviously, I didn’t have the year I wanted. Obviously, I didn’t have the postseason I wanted,” he continued. “My numbers weren’t where they needed to be. I know that. And I don’t need to be motivated to be great in my career or anything else. That’s just not a motivating factor for me. For Dave to come out and say those things, it’s kind of wild.”
Bryce Harper on “not elite” shirt and Dave Dombrowski’s comments
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Harper, who arrived at Phillies camp Sunday, did not change much about his offseason, aside from hiring a new trainer. Position players are due Monday; another baseball season is on the horizon. But Dombrowski’s comments from October linger.
At November’s general managers’ meetings in Las Vegas, Dombrowski said he and Harper had a good conversation and the situation was resolved. Then, in December, Harper posted a TikTok wearing a shirt that said “not elite” on it.
Said Harper: “I mean, they made the shirts for me, and I wore them. If they’re going to make them, I’m going to wear them.”
So, nearly four months removed from Dombrowski’s comments, they are again at the forefront. Harper said his conclusion from the situation was that both parties decided to keep things in-house going forward.
“My locker is always open for them to come and talk to me,” Harper said, “and vice versa.”
It was not Harper’s finest season. He finished with 3.1 WAR, the second-lowest total of his Phillies tenure (except the pandemic season), and hit .251/.357/.487 with an .844 OPS — 11th-highest in the National League. It can’t totally be attributed to an injured wrist. Harper said he felt no pain on his return from the injured list on June 30.
One factor that could have impacted Harper’s season was the lack of a strong clean-up hitter behind him. Batters in the four spot for Philadelphia posted a .720 OPS last season, which ranked 20th in MLB and was their lowest OPS from the cleanup spot since 2014 (.701). That probably played a role in Harper seeing the lowest percentage of pitches in the zone of any MLB hitter — though Harper’s 35.6 percent chase rate (up from 33.4 percent in 2024) and MLB-leading 57 percent out-of-zone swing rate likely have something to do with that, too. Harper mentioned chasing and missing pitches over the plate as things to work on during the offseason and spring training.
Manager Rob Thomson has mentioned shuffling the top of the lineup again, though it’s to be determined. Harper, who in the past has said he prefers not to hit leadoff, said he will wait to think about the order until Thomson has that conversation. The issue of the four spot, Harper said, remains the same whether he or Schwarber is hitting third.
“Because if Schwarbs is hitting there, same things are going to happen, right?” Harper said. “So, I think four spot’s a huge impact. I think the numbers in the four spot weren’t very good last year for our whole team. Whoever is in that four spot is going to have a big job to do, depending on who’s hitting three.”
Alec Bohm seems like the leading candidate to hit fourth again, barring any unforeseen circumstances. In 26 games hitting cleanup last season, Bohm slashed .215/.262/.309 with a .571 OPS. The Phillies, for now, have to hope for a better performance from the cleanup spot — or that another hitter will emerge and challenge for it.
Harper, who will play in the World Baseball Classic, will leave camp early. While in Clearwater, his locker is next to Aidan Miller’s and just a few away from Justin Crawford. Andrew Painter isn’t far away. The kids have arrived, which is seemingly the most significant change at camp. Harper said he’s looking forward to being around the younger players and getting a feel for the clubhouse as he gets into camp.
He’s excited about Crawford, saying he hopes he will be as dominant as he was in the minor leagues. He feels confident in Painter’s ability to bounce back, saying the club needs it with Zack Wheeler injured and Ranger Suarez gone.
Harper has traded the “not elite” shirt for Phillies-issued wear. Soon, it will be a Team USA jersey. The offseason — what was said, what the Phillies did, what they didn’t do — has not fully dissipated. But the fun is beginning. For Harper, there is plenty to look forward to.
“I love playing this game,” Harper said. “I love being part of the culture and the group of Philly baseball and things like that. I don’t want that to ever not be the notion. Obviously, I don’t smile all the time or I don’t laugh all the time. But I enjoy playing this game. And so I think (the World Baseball Classic) is just something that is going to be really exciting. Being able to take a step back and act like you are 16, 17, 18 years old again, playing with your buddies.”