Having joined the Philadelphia Phillies as a free agent in 2019, Bryce Harper has gone on to establish himself as one of the most influential players on the roster.
Since moving to the City of Brotherly Love, the slugger has earned himself two All-Star selections, an NL MVP award, three Silver Slugger awards, an All-MLB First Team selection, and several other notable honors.
In 2025, Bryce Harper batted third in the Phillies’ lineup, forming a left-right-left combination with Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner hitting before him. According to insider Todd Zolecki of MLB.com, moving Harper up to leadoff could yield better results for the offense.
He explained his thought process during Monday’s episode of “The Phillies Show,” while also admitting that the chances of such a move are slim.
“Listen, Shohei Ohtani last season had 680 plate appearances, hitting lead off. Mike Trout, when he was healthy and playing a lot, he was starting to hit leadoff a lot for the Angels. You know, he’s obviously an elite hitter. Fernando Tatis Jr. hit leadoff a lot last year, little bit of a different player. But the fact that Shohei Ohtani hits leadoff, he’s up there all the time,” Zolecki said (Timestamp: 9:07).
“Every stop you drop in the lineup, is about 17 fewer plate appearances over the course of the season. So, hypothetically, you move Bryce Harper up from third to first, he hits 34 more times in 2026 than he would if he hits third. That’s why I would love to see it. I don’t think (Phillies manager) Rob Thomson is necessarily going to push him into it. But I love that idea of having Harper hit first. Turner, Schwarber and then Alec Bohm (to follow).”
Bryce Harper had a down year by his high standards last year. He hit .261 with 27 home runs and 75 RBIs, and his .844 OPS was the lowest in his seven years in Philly.
Sportscaster Raises Major Red Flag Regarding Bryce Harper And The Phillies “Running It Back” In 2026
On paper, the Philadelphia Phillies boast one of the most well-rounded rosters in the major leagues, chock-full of quality in every area of the field.
However, recent years have shown that despite achieving plenty of regular-season success, Bryce Harper and company have been unable to take that next step and compete in the postseason in the way fans would have hoped for.
Although president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has facilitated plenty of important moves this winter, such as re-signing Kyle Schwarber in free agency and the acquisition of outfielder Adolis Garcia, the kind of high-profile additions to the squad that fans were demanding have not been made.
As a result, it appears the team is heading into yet another season relying on its core group of players for success. During the January 23 episode of “High Hopes,” sportscaster James Seltzer brought up a major concern he has with that sort of approach.
“More question marks. Zack Wheeler, we have no idea what that guy’s going to come back and be. He’s such an important part of this whole thing. Bryce Harper (too),” Seltzer said during Friday’s episode of ‘High Hopes’ (7:30).
“I’m psyched he’s motivated and all that, but we have no idea what we’re going to get from Harper. You go look around the diamond, and say question mark, question mark, question mark.. and they’re older,” he added.
Having last won the World Series in 2008, Phillies fans will hope to see Bryce Harper finally lead the team back to the promised land in 2026.
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