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The Philadelphia Phillies may be the cream of the crop of the NL East this season, but this wasn't always the case. In fact, the Phillies missed the playoffs for 10 consecutive seasons before simply qualifying for the postseason in 2022 by the skin of their teeth. Regardless, despite being a Wild Card team over the past two seasons, the Phillies emerged as a dangerous team in October, thanks in large part to the contributions of star hitter Bryce Harper.
When Harper signed a thirteen-year, $330 million with the Phillies in 2019, there were plenty of concerns as to whether or not he'd age well. His final season with the Washington Nationals didn't exactly bode well for his chances of aging gracefully. But he has proven to be the star man the Phillies have needed at the heart of the team's order, and they simply would not have made it deep into the past two postseasons had it not been for his contributions.
Trea Turner emphasized just how important Harper is to the Phillies' quest of finally getting over the hump. Moreover, Turner gushed over how Harper seems to embrace the responsibility to lead the team despite the difficulties that come with being in the spotlight.
“He's actively looking for the situation. He wants it. I think everybody wants to be the hero, but I think he's a notch above that in the sense that he desires it. And I don't think you can teach that. I've heard him say before that some people are scared to be great, and that's obviously not him. He wants to be great,” Turner said, per Jeff Passan of ESPN.
If there's anyone who knows Harper best on the Phillies roster, it's Turner. They spent four seasons together on the Nationals' big-league roster, and then Turner got the chance to team back up with Harper in 2023.
Harper is so used to the spotlight, as he has been earmarked for greatness ever since he landed on the radar of talent evaluators way before he reached the majors. In a rather admirable success story, the Phillies first baseman did not let anything get to his head, and now, he once again has an opportunity that he not only has the skill to deliver at the grandest stage, but that he also has the guts to be the team's bus driver.
Bryce Harper has been the Phillies' Mr. October over the past two years
Anything can happen during October baseball. Regular-season results do not matter anymore; there is only the playoffs, and what a player does with the opportunity given to them when the lights are at their brightest. Bryce Harper has been on a single-minded mission over the past two postseasons to lead the Phillies to the promised land.
Harper is a certified Atlanta Braves killer; he had an OPS of 1.592 during the 2022 NLDS and then he followed that up with an even more insane 1.765 OPS in 2023. It's almost too bad that the Phillies won't be matching up against the Braves this time around.
Over the past two playoff runs combined, the Phillies star hit 11 home runs and drove in 21 runs on an elite slash line of .324/.432/.705. In 2024, what does Harper have in store for us? Can he somehow sustain that level of production en route to a World Series run?
