With Phillies president Dave Dombrowski questioning if star Bryce Harper can come back to elite form, the slugger would be blunt in saying he was “hurt” by the comments made. As there had been rumors and speculation around the Phillies and Harper after the comments, Dombrowski would speak about the recent conversations with the 33-year-old.
Dombrowski would speak to the media at the general manager meetings on Tuesday and say that he had a conversation with Harper, and it “went well,” according to ESPN.
“I've spoken to him,” Dombrowski said at baseball's general manager meetings Tuesday. “We had a nice conversation. Everything went well.”
What started the drama was Dombrowski saying last month that he didn't know if Harper could “rise to the next level again,” saying that last season was not an elite season. Last season, Harper hit a .261 batting average to go along with 27 home runs and 75 RBIs.
“He's still a quality player. He's still an All-Star-caliber player,” Dombrowski said, via ESPN. “He didn't have an elite season like he's had in the past. I guess we only find out if he becomes elite or he continues to be good.”
“Can he rise to the next level again? I don't really know that answer,” Dombrowski continued. “He's the one that will dictate that more than anything else. I don't think he's content with the year that he had. Again, it wasn't a bad year. But when I think of Bryce Harper, you think elite, you think of one of the top-10 players in baseball, and I don't think it fit into that category.”
Phillies' Bryce Harper was “hurt” by comments
While rumors around the Phillies will continue to spread as the team looks to bolster the roster, the question around Harper continues. Harper would be honest about hearing the original comments from Dombrowski, saying that hearing his efforts to the team being downplayed is “disappointing.”
“It's disappointing to hear me being questioned about my contribution to the team,” Harper said. “Just really hurt by that notion because I love Philly so much.”
Fast forward some time, and it seems the conversations between the two were productive.
“We had a good conversation,” Dombrowski said. “We talked for quite a while. And really, conversations between Bryce and myself are between us.”
At any rate, Harper and Philadelphia look to improve after finishing wth a 96-66 record, losing in the division series to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the playoffs.
