The last time we left Bryce Harper was early November and Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told reporters he set the record straight with the two-time MVP After publicly wondering if he can have another elite season.
They might need another conversation.
Advertisement
It can be difficult to determine intent from a single social media post or fashion choice, but there are only so many ways to interpret Harper posting a video of himself on TikTok doing swings while wearing a shirt that says “Not Elite.”
This could obviously mean several things. Maybe Harper is still irritated by Dombrowski’s comments. Perhaps he has become friendly enough with the executive that the issue of elites has become a joke to them. Perhaps he has decided to address the criticism and is now presenting it as motivation.
Still, it’s quite a choice to bring this argument back into the public sphere, especially during a difficult offseason for the franchise.
There are a lot of things Bryce Harper could say with his “Not Elite” t-shirt. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
(Katelyn Mulcahy via Getty Images)
In case you need a refresher, here’s what Dombrowski said about Harper during an end-of-season press conference:
“He’s still a good player. Is he elite like he was before? Probably not to the same extent. And so it’s nothing negative. Freddie is a tremendous player, and for me, it’s Bryce. Can he still get to the next level? I don’t really know that answer. I mean, really, he’s the one who will dictate that more than anything else, that’s what it comes down to.
“I don’t think he’s happy with the year he had. And, again, it wasn’t a bad year, but when I think of Bryce Harper, you think elite, you think one of the top 10 players in baseball, and I don’t think (his 2025 season) falls into that category. But, again, he’s a very good player.”
Harper responded by saying he was “hurt” by Dombrowski’s comments and some subsequent trade speculation.which led Dombrowski to speak to him privately and indicate that the matter was settled.
Advertisement
Dombrowski wasn’t actually wrong with his initial comments, which might explain why the comments bothered Harper.
It’s been four years since the 33-year-old won his second MVP award in 2021 after hitting .309/.429/.615 with 35 home runs. In the seasons that followed, he hit .281/.374/.506 while dealing with injuries, making him a very good hitter, but not a top hitter in MLB. Her. 361 wOBA ranked 21st among qualified MLB hitters last season.
