The Phillies' Bryce Harper on Dave Dombrowski's Review: 'It's Kind of Wild'
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper expressed surprise and disbelief on Sunday when he learned that president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski had publicly questioned his elite status in October. Despite Dombrowski's comments, Harper stated that he wasn't motivated by them.
Harper found Dombrowski's public review of his season and postseason performance unusual, especially given the team's policy of keeping such discussions in-house. He mentioned that this situation took him aback, as he expected a more private approach from the organization.
Harper's performance in the 2025 season was underwhelming, with a .844 OPS, his lowest since 2016, and a .261 average, his worst since 2019. However, he did hit 27 home runs and drove in 75 runs during the regular season. In the NL Division Series, Harper struggled, going 3 for 15 with no RBIs in a four-game loss to the Dodgers.
Dombrowski's assessment was that Harper's numbers were good but not up to his MVP standards of 2015 with Washington and 2021 with the Phillies. Harper, who has six seasons left on his $330 million, 13-year deal, acknowledged that he didn't have the year he wanted, but he didn't see Dombrowski's comments as a motivator.
A wrist injury played a role in Harper's underperformance, causing him to miss a month of play. Despite this, Harper agreed that his production didn't meet his expectations. He stated, 'I didn't have the year I wanted, and my numbers weren't where they needed to be.'
Harper's overall career statistics include a .280 batting average and 363 home runs in 14 seasons in the majors, with seven of those seasons spent with the Phillies. Considering the wrist injury, his 2025 season was not a significant decline from his 2024 performance, when he finished sixth in the NL MVP voting and received several accolades.
