Bryce Harper names his favorite Phillies player of all time
Philadelphia Phillies star outfielder Bryce Harper may have only donned red pinstripes for a little over one year now, but he seems to already have a deep understanding of the history behind the franchise.
In a recent interview with Rawlings, the six-time All-Star was asked who is his favorite Phillies player of all time. And, without hesitation, Harper named 2008 World Series champion second baseman Chase Utley.
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Harper says he respects guys like Mike Schmidt, John Kruk, and Tug McGraw as being “heroes” back when they played; he says he grew up understanding what they did before him.
But, for Harper, Utley stands out more than all of the above.
“Every time we played them, he looked at you and it was like he would kill you,” Harper says. “It was like, ‘Don’t mess me or I’ll kill you.’ He had that instinct and that mentality.”
“I don’t think anything really bothered him on the baseball field. He played the game hard every single day. I think he’s one of the best second basemen to ever do it and one of the best postseason guys.”
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Harper says it is very vivid in his mind of “The Man’s” performance in the 2009 World Series opposite the New York Yankees. During that late October series, Harper was less than a year away from being drafted by the Washington Nationals first overall in the 2010 MLB June Amateur Draft out of the College of Southern Nevada.
“It’s very vivid in my mind of 2009; of course, the Yankees won that year, so that that was terrible for the Phillies organization,” Harper says, “but I think he hit six or seven homers in the World Series or something like that.”
Had the Phillies won that series, Utley’s performance would have gone down as one of the all-time best postseason performances. In six games and 25 plate appearances, he slugged one double, five home runs, eight RBI, one stolen base, four walks, and seven runs scored, while slashing .286/.400/1.048.
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Harper, whose October 16 birthday had him just turn 18 at the time, was star-struck.
“I think he just went off ,” Harper says. “He’s so much fun to watch. He really understood the game. He understood how to play it. I think he was very respected in Philadelphia and I think he’s one of the favorites within the organization as well.”
“I mean he just understands the game so much so well.”