Few modern theater arcs hold the same dramatic, high-stakes importance as Bryce Harper's. From the moment he appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a 16-year-old prodigy, he has borne the weight of being baseball's chosen one. For years, he was the unquestioned, charismatic face of the Washington Nationals, highlighted by a stunning, unanimous National League MVP award in 2015. However, when free agency took him across the Eastern Seaboard to a fierce divisional rival, fate played a strange, frustrating game: Washington secured their first-ever World Series victory in the very autumn following his departure.

Instead of letting external noise control his story, Harper deliberately turned Citizens Bank Park into his personal arena, exhaustively striving to secure his elusive championship ring. During the 2019 campaign in eastern Pennsylvania, he showed a formidable power, hitting 35 home runs, driving in 114 RBIs, and posting an .882 OPS. Although seeing his former team celebrate with the trophy in October was likely very frustrating, he handled it with veteran resilience, finishing the pandemic-shortened 2020 season with an impressive .962 OPS.

Then arrived 2021, the high-velocity season the front office had envisioned when they approved his historic $330 million contract. Harper delivered an outstanding regular season, winning his second National League MVP. He hit 35 home runs and led the major leagues in slugging percentage (.615), OPS (1.044), and achieved a remarkable 179 OPS+.

Despite that historic individual baseline, baseball's harsh randomness kept the Phillies out of the postseason, leading to a pivotal, high-stakes evolution. In 2022, Harper suffered a severe UCL tear in his right elbow that completely impaired his ability to throw, yet he refused to give up his place in the lineup. Playing solely as an elite designated hitter, he propelled the underdog Phillies into the playoffs, earning the NLCS MVP award with a legendary late-inning home run that clinched the pennant against San Diego. He finally reached the World Series stage, but the fairy tale ended two victories short, leaving him with a pennant but a badly injured elbow.

After major Tommy John surgery, Harper exceeded typical recovery expectations, making an extraordinary, rapid comeback to active play midway through the 2023 season. He maintained exceptional strike zone control with a .900 OPS and delivered another memorable postseason performance. However, his long-term ability to continue playing the outfield was officially ruled out.

To insulate his reconstructed arm while maximizing his daily volume, management implemented a permanent tactical shift, moving Harper to first base full-time ahead of the 2024 calendar year. The transition was a masterclass in athletic adaptability; he picked up the nuances of the position with fluid efficiency, neutralizing opposing base runners while maintaining his thunderous presence in the cleanup slot.

Any lingering doubts about his physical durability were completely dispelled during the recently finished 2025 season. Appearing entirely healthy, Harper delivered a spectacular, comprehensive regular-season performance, earning a well-deserved spot as a starter at the Midsummer Classic and finishing sixth in the National League MVP voting. He hit 29 home runs, drove in 92 runs, and scored 90 times in 147 games, posting an efficient .278/.372/504 slash line that was a key driver for a strong Phillies team. Although the postseason ended in a frustrating and close loss in the National League Division Series, his durability demonstrated that his offensive prime is still very much in full swing.

Harper is 33 entering the 2026 season and should have some solid baseball left in him.

When Zack Wheeler signed a lucrative free-agent deal with the Philadelphia Phillies before the 2020 season, it was seen as a high-risk, high-reward move for a pitcher who had shown both brilliance and inconsistency over 126 games with the New York Mets. Since then, he has undergone a complete transformation. After arriving in Pennsylvania, the smooth-throwing right-hander systematically enhanced his game, reaching an elite, high-velocity level. He now combines an explosive four-seam fastball with a devastating sweeper and sinker. His development has been a remarkable example of modern pitching mastery.

His initial summer in Philadelphia was significantly curtailed by the global pandemic; nevertheless, Wheeler promptly established a robust foundation during the abbreviated 2020 season, pitching through 71 innings to achieve a 4-2 record and an impressive 2.92 ERA. This performance earned him his first ever Cy Young Award votes, thereby setting a strong foundation for a historic, league-wide achievement the following summer.

His peak season came in 2021, showcasing his remarkable endurance and skill. Wheeler emerged as a true workhorse, leading the National League with 213.1 innings pitched and topping all of baseball with 247 strikeouts. He posted an excellent 2.78 ERA and a low 1.008 WHIP, earning his first All-Star selection and narrowly missing out as the runner-up for the Cy Young Award in the National League.

Instead of facing a natural regression wall, Wheeler maintained remarkable, unwavering consistency throughout his rotation. In 2022, he achieved a 12-7 record with an impressive 2.82 ERA, acting as the key stabilizer that drove the underdog Phillies on an unforgettable journey to the National League pennant.

He proved his big-game mettle yet again during the 2023 campaign, posting a 13-6 record, a 3.61 ERA, and 212 strikeouts, finishing sixth in the Cy Young balloting, before authoring a brilliant October masterclass that delivered three crucial postseason victories.

Last season, he raised his own remarkable ceiling further. Wheeler crafted a stellar regular season, earning another All-Star designation and commanding opposing lineups with a 16-7 record and an impressive 2.57 ERA. He effectively neutralized baserunners, leading the major leagues with a stunning 0.955 WHIP, an exceptional efficiency that earned him his second career runner-up finish for the Cy Young Award.

As the 2026 campaign approaches, Wheeler will be turning 36. Typically, aging curves indicate that a pitcher’s peak high-velocity years might be ending, but his exceptional mechanics and strong work ethic set him apart from typical decline expectations. Having built a remarkable career in Philadelphia, he enters the new season as a leading franchise star and one of the top aces of his era.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our post 2023 revision of our top 50 Oakland Athletics.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball we look at the following:

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in Major League Baseball.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, the Athletics had another awful year, where they not only lost a lot of games and were mocked for their lack of attendance.  Their time left in Oakland is questionable, and they remain in a perpetual state of rebuilding.  This led to another year, where we saw no new entrants and elevations.  Nevertheless, at the end of every year we always acknowledge that we took into account the past season.

As always, we present our top five, which (obviously) saw no changes:

1. Lefty Grove

2. Rickey Henderson

3. Eddie Plank

4. Jimmie Foxx

5. Al Simmons

You can find the entire list here.

We thank you for your continued support for our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

1956 Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project Class.

Here we are!  Again!!

If you have been following our Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project, you know that we have asked the rhetorical question…what if the PFHOF began in January of 1946?

After soliciting and obtaining a passionate group of football fans and historians, we sent out a ballot for a Preliminary Vote, which we asked each voter to give us 25 names as their semi-finalists, and 5 in the Senior Pool. Following that, we asked the group to vote for their 15 Finalists in the Modern Era, and 3 in the Senior Category. The final stage was to vote for their five Modern Era inductee, one Senior inductee and one Coaches/Contributor inductee.

This is the result of the eleventh official class;

Below, are the final results of this project based on 30 votes, with a major change that we began “two years ago”:  ALL FINALISTS MUST obtain 50% of the VOTE!

This is for the “Modern Era”

*Bold indicates they have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Class of 1956:

This is for the “Senior Era”, which resulted in no entry, as no candidate received 50%

About the 1956 Inductees:

Sid Luckman QB-HB-DB, CHI 1939-50: Inducted in 1956 on his 1^st Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965. 

Sid Luckman was one of the game’s first great Quarterbacks, and would be the precursor for the era of “T” pivots.  Luckman played his entire 12-year career with the Chicago Bears and when teams saw that he did, they looked to develop their own version of the T-Attack.  Under the guidance of George Halas, Luckman took the Bears to four NFL Championships (1940, 1941, 1943 & 1946) and was named the MVP in 1943.  One of those championships was the 73-0 drubbing over Washington in 1940, which is the biggest margin in any NFL Championship or Super Bowl.  Luckman led the NFL in Passing Yards and Touchdown Passes three times.

Alex Wojciechowicz C-LB-E, DET 1938-46, PHI 1946-50: Inducted in 1956 on his 1st Ballot. Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968.

Alex Wojciechowicz was a two-time All-American at Fordham, and was the lynchpin of the 1937 Rams team that only allowed 16 Points.  The Detroit Lions landed him with the sixth pick, and he continued to dominate at the pro level.  Playing Center on offense and Linebacker on defense, Wojciechowicz was a star on a struggling Lions squad, but a move to a more competitive Eagles team rejuvenated Wojciechowicz, who helped them win two NFL Championships (1948 & 1949).

George McAfee HB-DB, CHI 1940-41 & 1945-46: Inducted in 1956 on his 1st Ballot. Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1966.

Despite the fact that George McAfee was taken with the second overall pick in the 1940 Draft, there was some trepidation from George Halas and the Chicago Bears management towards the Back.  They need not have worried.  McAfee played all eight of his seasons in the National Football League with the Bears and the multi-talented Back would be named to the 1940s All-Decade Team.  Considered to be one of the top Chicago Bears of all-time, McAfee helped take the team to three NFL Championships.