The Philadelphia Phillies are looking for a bounce-back season from Bryce Harper. Much of the headlines during the offseason surrounding the infielder started with how president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski judged the first baseman as "not having an elite year" by his standards. Harper totaled 27 home runs, 75 RBIs and slashed .261/.357/.487 with an .844 OPS in 132 games.
One way for the Phillies to help their top player have a better year is for manager Rob Thomson to protect Harper better in the batting order. Harper needs to work on his approach to be more patient and productive. However, the skipper's plan for who will bat fourth isn't the best solution to protect the franchise's star player in the lineup.
Bryce Harper knows what he must do at the plate this season but could still use more help behind him in Phillies lineup
MLB Network's Lauren Shehadi mentioned to Harper that he sees the least amount of pitches in the strike zone out of all of MLB's superstar position players. She asked how the first baseman adjusts to this and how much time he spends adjusting and thinking about it.
"I've got to control it a little more this year, understanding [pitchers] are going to pitch to my weaknesses and me expanding out of my zone, it can't happen," Harper said. "This year, I just need to trust myself, trust my mind, trust my eyes, and get back to trying to hit that ball in that box and not really worry about if they're going to throw me a pitch or not. If they don't, take my walks, if they do, make them pay and do that damage. Just gotta do the best I can to stay in my zone and be good at what I do."
Bryce Harper is entering his 15th season in the Big Leagues!
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) February 25, 2026
The @Phillies superstar reflects on what he's learned during his career, how he'll approach hitting in 2026 and more.
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According to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki, Phillies manager Rob Thomson looks likely to bat Alec Bohm fourth in the lineup this year. Kyle Schwarber would provide much better protection for Harper than Bohm. The third baseman compiled 11 home runs, 59 RBIs and a slash line of .287/.331/.409 and a .740 OPS in 120 contests last year.
While Harper does need to be more patient at the plate, pitchers would be more likely to throw to him if Philadelphia's best power hitter is on deck behind him.
Rob Thomson said today that Trea Turner, Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber will hit 1-3 in the Phillies lineup, not necessarily in that order. He wants them hitting in the first inning.
— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) February 15, 2026
Alec Bohm is the most likely to hit fourth, but Adolis Garcia and J.T. Realmuto also mentioned.
New addition Adolis García has shown that he can be a solid threat in a lineup as a power hitter. The outfielder hit a career-best 39 home runs and 107 RBIs compared to Bohm's 20 homers and 97 RBIs back in 2023.
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer's David Murphy, Harper was the only player in the majors last year who failed to score more than 72 runs and posted at least an .800 OPS in more than 580 plate appearances.
It's unlikely that Harper will hit in the lead off spot, as former Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. suggested earlier in the offseason, which would also protect the first baseman. However, both Thomson and Harper have been opposed to that. Trea Turner demonstrated in 2025 that he's a solid option batting first.
The 33-year-old Harper needs to be hitting in front of Schwarber and not Bohm during the season. Since how to best protect Harper comes up more often than other position players on the team, Thomson putting him second and Schwarber third in the batting order is the best solution to the issue.