Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper said Sunday that he was taken aback by earlier criticism from President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski, who said in October that Harper was no longer “elite.”
“I don’t get motivated by that kind of stuff,” Harper told reporters at spring training. “For me, it was kind of wild the whole situation of that happening … It was kind of a wild situation.”
After the Phillies lost to the eventual champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the postseason, Dombrowski addressed Harper’s future during an end-of-year press conference.
“[Harper]’s still a quality player. He’s still an All-Star-caliber player,” Dombrowski said. “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.”
Harper turned 33 years old during the offseason. The two-time MVP, who moved from the outfield to first base after turning 30, hit 27 home runs last season. He racked up 75 RBIs and posted a .261 average — the fourth-lowest of his 14-year career. His .844 OPS was his lowest since the 2016 campaign.
The former Nationals outfielder signed a 13-year, $330 million deal with the Phillies ahead of the 2019 season. He is under contract for the next six seasons.
“I think the big thing for me was when we first met with this organization, it was, ’Hey, we’re always going to keep things in-house, and we expect you to do the same thing,’” Harper said Sunday. “So, when that didn’t happen, it kind of took me for a run a little bit, so I don’t know. It’s part of it, I guess.”
A wrist injury sidelined the former No. 1 pick for a month last season. He confessed that the 2025 campaign — which featured a steep drop-off from his All-Star showing in 2024 — was underwhelming.
“Obviously, I didn’t have the year that I wanted,” Harper said. “Obviously, I don’t have the postseason I wanted. My numbers weren’t where they needed to be. I know that, and I don’t need to be motivated to be great in my career or anything else. So that’s just not a motivating factor for me. For Dave to come out and say those things, it’s kind of wild to me still.”
The full Phillies squad reports to spring training on Monday. They open the regular season on March 26 against the Texas Rangers.
This article is based in part on wire service reports.
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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