![]() If you’re spending $330 million, a 13-year deal is actually better than a 10-year deal for two reasons: the luxury tax hit is more manageable and there’s a chance Harper will remain productive as he approaches 40, in which case the club benefits.Īll of that guarantees the Phillies nothing, of course.By signing Harper, the Phillies keep him away from their division rivals in Washington.Philadelphia’s largely right-handed lineup gained one of baseball’s top left-handed sluggers, making life harder on opposing managers.Realmuto, Andrew McCutchen, Jean Segura and David Robertson. The Phillies have now completed a transformational off-season by adding Harper, J.T. ![]() Steamer’s projection system forecasts 34 homers with 4.8 wins above replacement and a.At age 26, Harper is younger than Noah Syndergaard, Aaron Judge, Kris Bryant and Christian Yelich.Will it be an overpay? Would Machado have been a better investment? Why 13 years?Īll are valid questions, but let’s not lose sight of some facts as we make sense of the biggest contract in baseball history: His deal, which doesn’t include any opt-outs, tops fellow free agent Manny Machado by $30 million and replaces Giancarlo Stanton’s $325-million deal as the biggest in the history of the sport.Īs for the Phillies, the debate over Harper’s new deal has begun already. Good for Harper, who gets paid at a time that the free agent market can seem pretty inhospitable. Harper will reportedly earn $330 million on a 13-year deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. Realmuto in 2019 provided plenty of lineup protection.Now, nearly nine years after the Nationals selected Harper first overall, the intrigue has finally reached its conclusion. The ball also travels well in the South Philadelphia ballpark.įor Harper, who had been on an MVP trajectory this year before breaking his thumb, the free-agent signings of outfielders Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos before this season and durable catcher J.T. The distance from home plate to the foul poles is 329 feet – perfect for a slugger who uses all fields – and it’s 401 feet to center. Playing half the schedule in the bandbox known as Citizens Bank Park helps Harper. 16 as one of three players with 250 home runs, 100 stolen bases, and 800 walks at that age. But the DH spot was the right place at the right time – even though Harper needed weeks to recapture his power stroke. A Blake Snell fastball broke Harper’s left thumb, sending him to the sidelines for 52 games and hampering his ability to throw from his normal right field position. It might not have happened without the adoption of the designated hitter by the National League this year. The Phillies are trying to do the same thing. Three years later, he was National League MVP after a career-best 42 homers.īut he left the Nationals in the spring of 2019, just months before the Nats parlayed a wild-card finish into a world championship. He was 19 when he broke in with the 2012 Washington Nationals and won Rookie of the Year honors. He’s only 30 but it seems the 6'3" left-handed slugger has been manhandling major-league pitching for years. “We’re ready to go,” Harper said in the jubilant locker room after Game 4 ended. The Phils will be seeking their third world championship when the 2022 World Series starts at Minute Maid Park Friday night. Harper already has a club-record 18 hits in this post-season, which has at least four games to go. “This guy has a knack for coming up big in the biggest moments.” “I don’t think anybody was surprised,” said teammate Rhys Hoskins, who put on a power show of his own. Louis in the first game, he still went 18-for-41 (.439), reaching base in all 11 games.Īgainst the potent Padres pitching staff in the NLCS, Harper had the game-winning RBI in three of his team’s four wins – including the two-run, eighth-inning, opposite-field homer that turned a 3-2 deficit into a 4-3 win in the finale at Citizens Bank Park. Harper made history with 11 extra-base hits in 10 playoff games, hitting in 10 straight and joining Carlos Beltran and Willie Stargell as the only players to enjoy such productive postseasons. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images) Getty Images the World Series against the Houston Astros. At age 30, Bryce Harper is hoping his playoffs hot streak continues as he leads the Phillies into. ![]()
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