<\/p>\n
The Philadelphia Phillies didn\u2019t win the World Series in 2025. The team has had high expectations since reaching the World Series in 2022 but has failed to return.<\/p>\n
The organization has been committed to bringing a championship back to the City of Brotherly Love, thanks in large part to having an owner determined to win. The core group hasn\u2019t gotten the job done, and 2025 may have been the final chance, with several key players set to hit free agency and others in trade rumors.<\/p>\n
The Phillies will continue to field a competitive team as long as Bryce Harper is under contract, but his better days may be behind him.<\/p>\n
Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski didn\u2019t shy away from sharing his thoughts about the face of the franchise during his end-of-season press conference on Thursday, according to MLB.com\u2019s Todd Zolecki.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s still a quality player,\u201d Dombrowski said about Harper\u2019s down year, per Zolecki. \u201cHe\u2019s still an All-Star-caliber player. He didn\u2019t have an elite season like he has had in the past. And I guess we only find out if he becomes elite or he continues to be good.\u201d<\/p>\n
After hitting .294 across the previous four seasons, in which he was selected to two All-Star Games and named the 2021 NL MVP, Harper had a .261 batting average in 2025, his lowest since the 2019 season. The Phillies\u2019 first baseman finished this season with 27 home runs, 75 RBIs and an .844 OPS.<\/p>\n
The playoffs weren\u2019t much better for Harper, who hit .200 with just one extra-base hit and no RBIs in the NLDS loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was uncharacteristic after he had hit .325 across the previous three playoffs, which included being named the 2022 NLCS MVP.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan he rise to the next level again?\u201d Dombrowski asked, per Zolecki, questioning Harper\u2019s elite status. \u201cI don\u2019t really know that answer. He\u2019s the one that will dictate that more than anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harper has been in the spotlight since he was a teenager, before being drafted by the Washington Nationals first overall in the 2010 MLB Draft. He\u2019s a two-time MVP, eight-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger and was the 2012 NL Rookie of the Year.<\/p>\n
Despite being a generational talent and future Hall of Famer, Dombrowski is skeptical about Harper\u2019s future as one of the top players in baseball. Harper is under contract through 2031 and turned 33 years old on Thursday, making Dombrowski\u2019s remarks about his star player that much more questionable.<\/p>\n
Harper didn\u2019t quite have the season the baseball world is accustomed to seeing from him, but there aren\u2019t any reasons to believe that he can\u2019t bounce back. Hopefully, Dombrowski\u2019s comments light a fire under Harper and don\u2019t create any unnecessary drama moving forward.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Did Dave Dombrowski just question Bryce Harper\u2019s status as an elite player after his down 2025 season?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":109900,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-109898","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n