{"id":218322,"date":"2025-10-16T22:22:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T22:22:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/218322\/"},"modified":"2025-10-16T22:22:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T22:22:08","slug":"i-dont-really-know-if-bryce-harper-can-be-elite-player-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/218322\/","title":{"rendered":"‘I Don’t Really Know’ If Bryce Harper Can Be Elite Player Again"},"content":{"rendered":"

Philadelphia Phillies<\/a> president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski<\/a> raised eyebrows Thursday when asked whether two-time National League MVP Bryce Harper<\/a> remains an elite player.<\/p>\n

During the team\u2019s end of season press conference, Dombrowski said he doesn\u2019t know if Harper, who turned 33 on Oct. 16, can be a top-10 player in baseball again.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s still a quality player. He\u2019s still an All-Star caliber player. He didn\u2019t 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,\u201d said Dombrowski.<\/p>\n

By his own standards, Bryce Harper had a down season. Will that become a trend? Dave Dombrowski says it\u2019s up to Harper. <\/p>\n

\u201cI guess we will find out if he becomes elite, or if he continues to be good.\u201d<\/p>\n

(via @GraceDelPizzo<\/a>) pic.twitter.com\/8hjsp5yJRC<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 On Pattison (@OnPattison) October 16, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Those numbers remain strong by most standards, but they\u2019re far from the MVP-caliber production Harper delivered in 2021 when he posted 35 home runs with a 1.044 OPS and 179 OPS+.<\/p>\n

Dombrowski Uncertain Whether Harper Can Regain Elite Status<\/p>\n

Dombrowski drew a comparison to Freddie Freeman<\/a>, suggesting the Los Angeles Dodgers<\/a> first baseman is still very good but perhaps not the elite player he was during his time with the Atlanta Braves<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan he rise to the next level again? I don\u2019t really know that answer,\u201d Dombrowski said about Harper. \u201cHe\u2019s the one that will dictate that more than anything else is what it comes down to. I don\u2019t think he\u2019s content with the year that he had, and again, it wasn\u2019t a bad year. But when I think of Bryce Harper, you\u2019re thinking one of the top 10 players in baseball and I don\u2019t think it fit into that category, but again, a very good player.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\t\tMatt Higgins worked in national and local news for 15 years. He started out as an overnight production assistant … More about Matt Higgins<\/a><\/p>\n

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