Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies enjoyed yet another successful regular season in 2025, winning the NL East for the second consecutive season.
Much to the frustration of fans, however, the team came up short in the postseason once again, bowing out against the LA Dodgers in the NLDS this time around.
Looking to regroup and go again in 2026, the Phillies begin preparation for the new season in late February, at their facility in Clearwater, Florida.
During Tuesday’s episode of “The Phillies Show,” insider Jim Salisbury of PHLY Sports spoke about a potential adjustment to Bryce Harper’s game that may have season-defining implications for the team.
“I wonder if we might see a swing adjustment in spring training. If he just cut down a little bit, I think it would limit some of the head movement,” Salisbury said (Timestamp: 25:00).
“He’s still so strong, he can cut it down a little bit, still hit a ton of home runs, ton of extra base hits, square it up a lot. I wonder if we might see that. Because now he’s going to be 33, and guys adapt and change as time goes on.”
Former Phillies executive Ruben Amaro Jr., who was also on the panel, concurred with Salisbury’s opinion, claiming such an adjustment could make Bryce Harper an “unbeatable” hitter.
“I go back to when Bryce was sort of struggling, he goes to San Francisco and he hits four or five absolute ropes to the left side of the diamond. If he can really bury himself into the thought process of using left center field consistently, there’s no way you can beat him. He recognizes pitches, he sees pitches well, he’s got great eyesight and eye-hand coordination,” Amaro Jr. added (Timestamp: 25:40).
“I’m not his hitting coach, but just having watched him over the years, if he is dead set on driving the ball to left center field, the opposite way, and make the adjustment on other stuff, he is tough to beat, man. He’s one of the best hitters in the game, and hopefully he gets into those stretches where he can do that consistently.”
Switching Bryce Harper’s Spot In The Batting Order Could Also Help The Phillies Offense, Claims Insider
During February 2’s episode of “The Phillies Show,” insider Todd Zolecki of MLB.com proposed moving Bryce Harper up to leadoff. He explained why this could yield better results for the team’s offense.
“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. Fans will hope to see a major improvement from the slugger in 2026.
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