3 Phillies crucial to making postseason dreams a reality
By Mitch Larson
Phillies outfielder and superstar slugger Bryce Harper
Just like Thanos, Bryce Harper appearing on a list like this feels inevitable. At this point, I am not sure what else there is to say about Harper that hasn’t already been said.
Since the All-Star break, all Harper has done is hit. He’s managed to slash an astounding .352/.484/.753 with a historic OPS of 1.238 to go along with 18 home runs and 46 RBIs.
Bryce Harper since All-Star break: .352/.484/.754
— Stathead (@Stathead) September 20, 2021
Since the first All-Star Game in 1933, the only players to hit .350/.480/.750 or better (min. 250 PA) after the break are: Ryan Howard, Barry Bonds, Manny Ramirez, Ted Williams.https://t.co/xILZheZkaa pic.twitter.com/NQSo7h98UJ
Head over to his Baseball Savant page and you’ll see that Harper is currently in the top 90% of major league hitters in: average exit velocity, max exit velocity, hard hit%, xwOBA, xBA, xSLG, Barrel%, and BB%. FanGraphs currently has him tied with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. for the MLB lead in WRC+, one of the most useful metrics for evaluating a hitter.
Harper is an absolute one-man wrecking crew right now, and he’s essentially trying to will the Phillies into the playoffs at this point. What he’s doing right now is likely not sustainable, and it’s unrealistic to ask him to keep up this pace. However, Philadelphia needs Harper to stay locked in if they have any hoping of catching the Atlanta Braves for the NL East crown or snatching that second wild card.