It's that time of year. The MLB regular season is right around the corner, which means that the newest edition of MLB The Show is close to dropping. With that comes all the hoopla of player rating reveals.
The Philadelphia Phillies' top five rated players in The Show 24 are all names you'd expect to see. Zack Wheeler, Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, and Aaron Nola rank as the top Phillies in this year's game. The Phillies are so stacked that Kyle Schwarber didn't even break the top five; you could easily see him and his 47 home runs in there somewhere.
However, Phillies fans will have one issue with these ratings: the preposterous 91 rating bestowed on Bryce Harper. You can see the top five Phillies ratings below.
The @Phillies are TOO TUFF 😤
— MLB (@MLB) March 7, 2024
Watch the Ratings Reveal Special: https://t.co/LHu3NpWEDe pic.twitter.com/AKZhI44fEi
Seven-time All-Star and 2023 Silver Slugger Bryce Harper really has an overall rating of 91? Is this some kind of troll job?
Yes, the Phillies superstar has battled injuries over the last couple of seasons but has persevered through it all and still is one of the most feared hitters in the game — just ask the Atlanta Braves. Harper's now 31, but based on how he finished last season, there's no reason he shouldn't have, at the very least, a mid-90s rating.
After the new first baseman fully recovered his power swing in 2023, returning in record time from Tommy John surgery, he helped power the Phillies to one of the most feared offenses in the league over the final two months. His second-half numbers are what you'd expect from the two-time MVP: a .296 batting average, a .996 OPS, 18 home runs, 49 RBI, and he even chipped in six stolen bases for a wRC+ of 164.
No knock against Trea Turner, but Harper should at least match Turner's 92. Really, he should be rated in the high 90s, as most Phillies fans would surely agree.
How does Harper's rating compare to the top players in the game? Let's take a look.
Here are the top rated players in MLB The Show 24 👀 pic.twitter.com/bMYFaugp5b
— MLB (@MLB) March 8, 2024
Yes, okay, those ratings seem to make sense. But where should Harper stand among the top players in the game heading into 2024? When Harper is Harper, he can go toe-to-toe with the best in baseball.
If we compare his second half — when he was back to being Bryce Harper — with the best hitters in MLB, there's no reason he should be rated lower than anyone pictured above. His 164 wRC+ after the All-Star break is tied with Aaron Judge (99 rating) as the eighth-best mark.
It feels like Harper is being penalized for his injuries. But then Yordan Alvarez, who has battled constant injuries throughout his career, skates by with a 96 rating. Make it make sense.
Former Phillies player weighs in on Bryce Harper's The Show 24 rating
Former Phillie Hunter Pence weighed in on Harper's rating during The Show 24 Ratings Reveal Special and said what we're all thinking.
"The only reason that I think Bryce Harper could even be remotely in the 91 versus like a 99 or 100 is as long as he stays healthy, this dude is one of the best hitters we have ever seen," Pence said. "It's just been absolutely crazy to watch the last two years what he has been able to put together.
"His at-bats, as someone who is a deep baseball enthusiast, his at-bats are insane to watch these days. The pitch discipline, the clutch hitting as well, and he's just like on a different planet right now, as far as hitting."
We agree, Hunter, we agree.