Bryce Harper couldn’t be tamed forever. The Philadelphia Phillies’ superstar first baseman is starting to heat up at the plate after a slow start to the 2025 season.
Harper hit just .223 in April, and his season batting average was as low as .231 on April 29. He had eight multi-hit games through his first 41 games with seven home runs.
Similar to how Eagles' Super Bowl-winning head coach Nick Sirianni shaved his head amid his team’s early-season struggles last year, Harper showed up to the May 12 series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals with a new look. The struggling left-handed hitter buzzed his normally flowy hair amid his early-season slump.
Despite being Phillies' hottest hitter since shaving his head, Bryce Harper has yet to hit a home run
Since he shaved his head, Harper is hitting .464 with four doubles and eight RBIs. The two-time MVP has five multi-hit games and has raised his batting average from .232 to .272 over the last eight games.
Not only has Harper been on fire since cutting his hair, but he’s on a five-game hit streak. He’s hitting .579, including two three-hit games. The 32-year-old was 3-for-5 with two doubles and two RBI in Tuesday’s win against the Colorado Rockies.
Despite his success at the plate, there’s one key stat that Harper hasn’t had success with since his haircut. The former Home Run Derby champion hasn’t hit a home run since May 10 and only has seven long balls this year.
Harper isn’t Kyle Schwarber when it comes to home runs. The four-time Silver Slugger has hit 30 or more home runs five times throughout his 14-year career, including a National League-leading 42 home runs with the Washington Nationals in 2015. Harper hit 30 home runs with the Phillies last year.
The home runs will come. Harper is doing his job by putting the ball in play and driving in runs, and the rest of the lineup is benefiting from it. Entering Wednesday, he has the third-most doubles (12), fourth-most RBIs (30) and his seven home runs are tied for the fifth-most among major league first basemen.