The Bryce Harper wintry saga is finally OVER as the Philadelphia Phillies have acquired the super slugger who was widely regarded as one of the most coveted free agents in Major League Baseball history.
Harper has already played in six All-Star games despite being just 26 years old and won an MVP with the Nationals in 2015 when he finished the year with an incredible .460 on-base percentage that measured out his adjusted OPS (OPS+) as one of the top 5 seasons in the history of baseball, post-1900.
Harper’s ability to get on base has never been an issue, leading the league in walks last season, and drawing over 100 base on balls three of the last four seasons, but his defense in the outfield has greatly come into question in recent years.
Last season Harper had the worst Defensive WAR in the MLB among right fielders, ranking at the absolute bottom of the league at -3.2, with Harper and Detroit’s Nicholas Castellanos the only right fielders attaining a rating worse than -1.5.
The defensive shortcomings had Harper’s overall WAR tied with former Nationals teammate Ryan Zimmerman for 186th in baseball.
Harper is expected to hit third in a reloaded Phillies lineup that acquired Andrew McCutcheon and Jean Segura earlier this offseason and should be one of the premier lineups in baseball in terms of getting on base with leadoff hitter Cesar Hernandez and cleanup hitter Rhys Hoskins ranking fifth and seventh in the NL respectively in walks last season.
Despite Philly’s Citizens Bank Park being arguably the league’s most hitter-friendly park, Harper has hit just .237 (34/143) there since 2013 but has added 14 home runs in 50 career games there as well.