That Balls Outta Here
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Will Bryce Harper break these franchise records by the end of his Phillies contract?

By Gabrielle Starr

PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 29: Bryce Harper #3 of the Philadelphia Phillies in action during a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Park on August 29, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 29: Bryce Harper #3 of the Philadelphia Phillies in action during a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Park on August 29, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /
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Phillies Mike Schmidt
PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 21: Mike Schmidt of the Philadelphia Phillies fields a ground ball during World Series game six between the Kansas City Royals and Philadelphia Phillies on October 21, 1980 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies defeated the Royals 4-1. (Photo by Rich Pilling/Getty Images) /

Phillies home runs leader: Mike Schmidt (548)

Can Harper homer 46.6 times per year going forward? We’d love to see it.

Schmidt was a home-run king in his era, leading MLB in the category six times, and the NL twice. He had three 40+ and thirteen 31+ homer seasons.

Harper’s career-high thus far was 42 home runs back in his first MVP season with the Nationals in 2015, and he hasn’t surpassed 35 HR since. Not that 35 homers is bad, and we’re certainly not complaining, but it’s not going to be enough to become the Phillies’ new home-run king.

Phillies RBI leader: Mike Schmidt (1,595)

Harper isn’t exactly an RBI superstar, but that’s not entirely his fault. After all, if his teammates don’t get on base, there’s no one for him to drive in. Then again, he did start the 2021 season with 14 consecutive solo home runs, so maybe it’s a dual-sided issue.

So far, Harper has driven in 231 runs, meaning he needs to drive in 1,365 more to set a new franchise record. 136.5 RBI per season is a lofty goal; no MLB player drove in more than 121 runs last season. It’s highly doubtful, almost impossible, that Harper – or anyone else, for that matter – breaks Schmidt’s record.

Then again, Schmidt amassed these numbers over 18 years with the Phillies. If Harper had 15 more years, he’d need to drive in 91 runs per season, which is still lofty, but far more realistic.

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