Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper admitted that he was shocked by president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski’s feedback that advised the star could not be an elite participant.
Harper, nonetheless, mentioned that he is utilizing Dombrowski’s essential feedback as a supply of motivation heading into the eighth season of his 13-year, $330 million contract.
“I do not get motivated by that form of stuff. For me, it was form of wild the entire scenario of that occuring,” Harper advised reporters Sunday. “I believe the massive factor for me was after we first met with this group, it was, ‘Hey we’re all the time going to maintain issues in-house, and we count on you to do the identical factor.’ So, when that did not occur, it form of took me for a run a little bit bit, so I do not know. It is a part of it, I assume. It was form of a wild scenario.”
A two-time Nationwide League MVP and eight-time All-Star, Harper acknowledged that his 2025 season wasn’t as much as his requirements. He batted simply .261 with 27 homers and 75 RBIs in 132 video games in the course of the common season and went 3-for-15 with zero RBIs within the Phillies’ four-game loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers within the NL Division Sequence.
“Clearly, I did not have the yr that I needed,” Harper mentioned. “Clearly, I haven’t got a postseason I needed. My numbers weren’t the place they wanted to be. I do know that, and I do not must be motivated to be nice in my profession or the rest. In order that’s simply not a motivating issue for me. For Dave to return out and say these issues, it is form of wild to me nonetheless.”
Dombrowski did not mince phrases in October when discussing Harper’s 2025 season.
“Can he rise to the following stage once more? I do not actually know that reply,” Dombrowski mentioned on the time. “He is the one that can dictate that greater than the rest. I do not suppose he is content material with the yr that he had. Once more, it wasn’t a foul yr. However once I consider Bryce Harper, you suppose elite, you consider one of many top-10 gamers in baseball, and I do not suppose it match into that class.”
Harper is a profession .280 hitter with a .905 OPS, 363 homers and 1,051 RBIs in 1,785 video games with the Washington Nationals (2012-18) and Phillies. He was named the NL’s Rookie of the 12 months in 2012 and the Most Precious Participant in 2015 and 2021.
–Discipline Stage Media
