Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski raised eyebrows Thursday when asked whether two-time National League MVP Bryce Harper remains an elite player.
During the team’s end of season press conference, Dombrowski said he doesn’t know if Harper, who turned 33 on Oct. 16, can be a top-10 player in baseball again.
“He’s still a quality player. He’s still an All-Star caliber player. He didn’t have an elite season like he has had in the past. And I guess we only find out if becomes elite or he continues to be good,” said Dombrowski.
By his own standards, Bryce Harper had a down season. Will that become a trend? Dave Dombrowski says it’s up to Harper.
“I guess we will find out if he becomes elite, or if he continues to be good.”
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— On Pattison (@OnPattison) October 16, 2025
Harper missed 30 games in 2025, and his numbers dipped across the board. His OPS fell 54 points to .844 while his OPS+ dropped 17 points to 129. His home run total decreased from 30 to 27 while his bWAR went from 4.8 to 3.2.
Those numbers remain strong by most standards, but they’re far from the MVP-caliber production Harper delivered in 2021 when he posted 35 home runs with a 1.044 OPS and 179 OPS+.
Dombrowski Uncertain Whether Harper Can Regain Elite Status
Dombrowski drew a comparison to Freddie Freeman, suggesting the Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman is still very good but perhaps not the elite player he was during his time with the Atlanta Braves.
“Can he rise to the next level again? I don’t really know that answer,” Dombrowski said about Harper. “He’s the one that will dictate that more than anything else is what it comes down to. I don’t think he’s content with the year that he had, and again, it wasn’t a bad year. But when I think of Bryce Harper, you’re thinking one of the top 10 players in baseball and I don’t think it fit into that category, but again, a very good player.”
Harper has six years remaining on the 13-year, $330 million contract he signed before the 2019 season. After another disappointing postseason, the Phillies need the old Harper back if they want to return to the World Series.
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