Bryce Harper was the face of the Washington Nationals from the moment he debuted as a teenager, but the man who won the 2015 National League MVP would depart via free agency to their division rival. Washington promptly won their first World Series in franchise history without him, but Harper has done all that he could to win his first ring.
Arriving in Philly in 2019, Harper had a good year with 35 Home Runs, 114 RBIs and an .882 OPS, but it had to be frustrating for the slugger as the Nationals won the World Series. He shook that off with another good year in the shortened 2020 season (13 HR, .962 OPS), but 2021 was what they paid him for.
That year, Harper won the MVP (his second), blasted 35 Home Runs, and led the NL in Slugging (.615), OPS (1.044) and OPS+ (179). As good as Harper was, this did not come with a trip to the playoffs. Harper dealt with a UCL tear in 2022 that cost him significant time, but he led them to the playoffs, where he won the NLCS MVP. Harper finally made it to the World Series, but was not on the winning side, and was now hurt.
Harper underwent surgery to repair the UCL, and he was playing mostly at DH, and later at First. He could still hit (.900), and was again instrumental in a playoff run for Philadelphia, but doubt in his long-term viability arrived. Moving forward, the concern with Harper is his health and ability to play in the field. If he can still hit, he will be valuable, but a second MVP as a Phillie is a tall task.
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