Phillies' brass hope Harper can be 'elite' again

PHILADELPHIA -- Bryce Harper turned 33 connected Thursday, and the solemnisation for the caller begetter of 4 conscionable mightiness not agelong precise acold wrong the Philadelphia Phillies' beforehand office.

After a play successful which Harper's .844 OPS was his lowest since 2016 and his .261 mean was his worst since 2019, Phillies president of shot operations Dave Dombrowski analyzed whether Harper - a two-time NL MVP - tin instrumentality to signifier arsenic 1 of baseball's champion players with six years near connected his 13-year, $330 cardinal deal.

"He's inactive a prime player. He's inactive an All-Star caliber player," Dombrowski said Thursday arsenic helium broke down the season. "He didn't person an elite play similar he's had successful the past. I conjecture we lone find retired if helium becomes elite oregon helium continues to beryllium good."

Just good?

That has to sting for a subordinate specified arsenic Harper who helped carried the Phillies retired of shot irrelevancy and into the playoffs for the archetypal clip successful 11 years successful 2022. Yes, Harper missed a period of the play arsenic helium recovered from a wrist injury, but the numbers did amusement an wide dip successful production.

Against the Dodgers successful the NL Division Series, Harper was conscionable 3-for-15 batting with nary RBI successful the four-game loss.

"Can helium emergence to the adjacent level again? I don't truly cognize that answer," Dombrowski said. "He's the 1 that volition dictate that much than thing else. I don't deliberation he's contented with the twelvemonth that helium had. Again, it wasn't a atrocious year. But erstwhile I deliberation of Bryce Harper, you deliberation elite, you deliberation of 1 of the top-10 players successful shot and I don't deliberation it acceptable into that category."

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Harper - who made a Gold Glove-caliber determination from close tract to archetypal basal and made the fastest instrumentality to the majors pursuing Tommy John country of immoderate subordinate successful large league past - whitethorn not person had the benignant of occurrence helium was accustomed to implicit his 14-year career.

It conscionable didn't mean Harper's champion years were down him.

"I deliberation he's highly motivated to person the champion play of his vocation adjacent year," Thomson said.

Harper volition surely instrumentality adjacent play arsenic the Phillies effort and fig retired however to drawback retired of a four-year postseason malaise that has yet to triumph them a World Series. While Dombrowski has dense decisions to marque astir a roster with respective cardinal escaped agents, he's not needfully feeling the vigor to shake-up the team.

"Need to beryllium much change? We won 96 games," Dombrowski said.

The Phillies' hitting woes each October could beryllium settled if Harper tin rediscover that saccharine left-handed changeable that erstwhile made him 1 of baseball's astir feared hitters.

"What I'd similar to spot is conscionable him beryllium himself, effort not to bash excessively much," Thomson said. "Really absorption connected hitting the shot the different way. When helium stays connected the ball, helium is specified a large hitter. I deliberation helium conscionable gets successful the mindset that helium tries to bash a small excessively overmuch due to the fact that helium knows that he's Bryce Harper."

Who's staying Thomson volition instrumentality for his 5th play and Dombrowski said the Phillies would apt enactment connected a one-year hold beyond the 2026 season. Thomson has 1 twelvemonth near connected his deal.

The full coaching unit - including embattled hitting manager Kevin Long - volition return, though the Phillies are looking for a caller seat coach. Mike Calitri volition go a large league tract coordinator, and the Phillies would similar to adhd idiosyncratic with managerial acquisition to instrumentality his place.

The Phillies person accrued their triumph full each of the past 4 years (87-90-95-96) portion their postseason runs person gotten worse: losing successful the 2022 World Series, the 2023 NLCS and consecutive bid losses successful the NLDS.

Dombrowski said the enactment needed to "keep it successful perspective" that the Phillies mislaid to a Dodgers squad that could beryllium steamrolling toward a 2nd consecutive World Series title.

"I don't deliberation you conscionable interruption up clubs," due to the fact that they suffer again successful the playoffs, Dombrowski said.

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