When you think of the best moments from the Phillies’ 2025 season, how many of them include Bryce Harper?
There’s no doubt Harper contributed in meaningful ways to the Phillies’ second straight NL East crown and 96 victories, but when one reminisces about the 162 games the Phils just wrapped up, the memories that bubble to the surface will largely feature his teammates more than him.
Kyle Schwarber’s 4-HR game and All Star Game MVP. Cristopher Sanchez’ Cy Young caliber season. Jesus Luzardo and Ranger Suarez leading a dominant rotation. The arrivals of Harrison Bader and Jhoan Duran at the trade deadline. Edmundo Sosa’s 3-HR game. Brandon Marsh and Bryson Stott rediscovering their 2023 form. Trea Turner winning the batting title. Rafael Marchan’s home run against the Dodgers. Schwarber’s grand slam against the Angels right after the All Star Game.
Strangely, Harper was something of an afterthought, producing in the background as his teammates seemed to take center stage most nights.
Maybe it’s because we’ve gotten used to what Harper can do on a nightly basis. He’s spoiled us over the years. There’s a level of expectation for Harper that exceeds everyone else, and it’s almost impossible for him to live up to his reputation on a daily basis.
And make no mistake, Harper did have his moments, like his uber-clutch, 8th inning home run in the NL East-clinching victory over the Dodgers in L.A. that broke a 4-4 tie.
His two-homer game against the Mariners in which both home runs went 440+ feet, the first player in MLB to do that this season.
The game against the Giants in San Francisco in which he put up a career-best four extra-base hits in a 13-0 win at Oracle Park.
And his 7th-inning home run against the Nationals in DC that gave the Phils a 2-1 lead and eventual victory on Opening Day.
So it’s not fair to say Harper hasn’t had his share of highlights, because he has. And his 2025 season was just fine when you look at the overall numbers: 132 games, .261/.357/.487, .844 OPS, 27 HRs, 75 RBIs, 72 runs scored. He missed 30 games with a bad wrist, an injury he said affected his hitting during the first few months of the season.
After missing most of June, he came back and had his best month in July: 1.005 OPS, .291/.378/.628 with 6 HRs and 11 doubles. He followed that up with seven homers and 18 RBIs in August, with a .500 slugging percentage and an .823 OPS. He slowed down in September, hitting .233/.347/.442 with a .788 OPS, five homers and just three doubles.
Which takes us to October. This, historically, has been Harper’s time to shine. In 34 career playoff games for the Phils, he has hit .325/.444/.709 with a 1.153 OPS, 12 HRs and 24 RBIs. Even in last year’s four-game NLDS loss, Harper hit .333/.529/.750 with a 1.279 OPS, two doubles and a key home run in their Game 2, come-from-behind victory.
He is the author of Bedlam at the Bank. The Orlando Arcia stare-down game is the stuff of legends. He was the 2022 NLCS MVP, and hit big dingers throughout that postseason.
But there’s no doubt Harper struggled a bit in clutch situations this season. He hit .233 with runners in scoring position, with just three home runs and 11 doubles in those spots. He hit .273 in 54 plate appearances labeled as “high leverage” by Fangraphs, with just two doubles and one home run, although he struck out just eight times and was walked eight times as well. It was an improvement over last year, when he hit .182 in 58 high leverage plate appearances, but below his .340 in 61 PAs in 2023, .308 in 49 PAs in ‘22 and .276 in 51 PAs in 2021. He hit .330 with RISP in ‘21, .354 in 2022, .275 in 2023 and .331 last season.
Generally speaking, he’s done well when it matters most, although debate will forever rage about the ability of a player to be “clutch.” Pobody’s Nerfect, after all.
No one has said Harper’s wrist was bothering him down the stretch, but his comments last week regarding his desire for the Phillies to earn that first-round bye may have been telling.
“I want to clinch the bye, for sure,” Harper said. “That’s the biggest thing for all of us. It’s worked for some teams, obviously, and there’s other teams that have complained about it. But I don’t think we’re going to be one of those teams. We weren’t last year. I’m looking forward to having it. I would love a couple days off, obviously.” quote via MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki
It can only help Harper to have these five days off to rest his wrist and get it ready for the postseason. Perhaps that will trigger the kind of postseason run that has become his calling card in Philadelphia, as we discussed on the latest episode of Hittin’ Season, from WHYY!
Harper probably didn’t have the kind of regular season he was hoping to have, but make no mistake, it was still a very good season. Now, baseball’s second season is here. It’s Bryce Harper’s time to shine and to leave his indelible mark on a 2025 season that could go down as one of the greatest in franchise history.
