ThePhillySportsBlog

Hey Bryce Harper, Shut Up!

Seriously.  Bryce Harper needs to stop complaining about what Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski said in October and get back to trying to win a World Series.

I won’t bore you all with the entire quote, since you all have seen it before.  But it seems that Harper is still upset that Dombrowski said that Harper was “not elite” last season. 

Oh, does the truth hurt your delicate feelings, Bryce?  Get over it already.  It’s true.  Just because nobody has ever said anything negative to Harper in his entire life doesn’t give him the right to throw a temper-tantrum like a spoiled kid whose parents never told them No.

In 2025, Harper’s .261 batting average was the third lowest of his 14-year career.  His 27 HRs, 75 RBIs, 70 Runs and .844 OPS (on-base + slugging %) were all below his normal career marks.  Harper then went 3-for-15 with one extra-base hit in the NLDS playoff loss to the Dodgers.

In essence, he was not elite.

To Harper’s credit, he admitted that he didn’t have a great year.  “Obviously, I didn’t have the year that I wanted,” he said.  “Obviously, I didn’t have the postseason I wanted.  My numbers weren’t where they needed to be.  I know that.”

So then why are you acting like a petulant child, Bryce?  Shut up!

“For me, it was wild, the whole situation of that happening, Harper said.  “When we first met with this organization, it was hey, you know, we’re always going to keep things in-house, and we expect you to do the same thing.  And so, when that didn’t happen, it kind of took me for a run a little bit.”

That would be great if Harper wasn’t being a complete hypocrite. 

Haprer is complaining about Dombrowski talking to the media, while he’s…..doing the same damn thing.  Shut up!

It’s even worse when you consider that Harper has absolutely never kept things “in-house”.  He has always told the media exactly what he is thinking, which is great.  Harper has actually been a great ambassador for the Phillies and MLB.  He’s also always been a model citizen off the field.  But he’s dead wrong here.

Remember all the times when Harper went public with his opinions about the roster.  He basically thinks he is the GM of the team.  He very publicly announced that the team needed to resign JT Realmuto a few years ago.  He also went public two years ago with his desire to get a contract extension, even though he still had EIGHT YEARS left on his 13-year contract.   So, he only likes it when HE talks to the media?  Sorry, but no.

He also threw his teammates under the bus by saying, “I think the numbers in the four spot weren’t very good last year for our whole team.”  So, are you saying all the Phillies players who hit behind you in the four spot last year weren’t “elite”, Bryce?  Shut Up!

And Harper wasn’t done spouting off.

“I love what the Dodgers do, obviously,” Harper said.  “They pay the money.  They spend the money.  They’re a great team.  They understand how to run their team like a business, and they run it the right way.  They understand where they need to put their money into.”  Holy crap.  Shut up, Bryce! 

Harper is doing his loyal players union thing here.  MLB’s collective bargaining agreement with the MLB players association ends after this season, so this was an absolutely calculated comment.  But maybe praising the team that just eliminated your team from the playoffs is a bit too far, Bryce.  Shut up!

The crazy thing is that I have always defended Harper.  I think he’s been a great Phillie with three Silver Slugger awards and an MVP award during his time in Philadelphia.  I thought it was great when they signed him and I think he is earning his money.  But this time he’s gone too far.

Wearing a T-shirt that says “Not elite” during an offseason hitting session and then posting the video online is incredibly passive-aggressive.  Then claiming it didn’t mean anything because someone just sent him a shirt, so he wore it, is downright insulting.  Shut up, Bryce!

Harper isn’t so much hurt that Dombrowski stated the obvious.  Harper and his agent, Scott Boras, are still mad that the Phillies refused to extend his contract when he went public with those demands.  That’s what this is all about.  Money. 

There is zero chance that the Phillies will extend Harper’s contract, which still has 6 years remaining.  Especially not after he had an off year last year.  A year, dare I say it, that was “not elite”.

And no matter what Harper says, giving him more years and/or more money would be the dumbest thing the Phillies could do.  I mentioned that the collective bargaining agreement is up after his coming season and MLB is going to push hard for a salary cap.  If that happens, the Phillies might be in trouble with all those huge contracts that are not going to age well.  Giving Harper more years and more money would only make it worse if there is a salary cap coming.

Maybe Harper should focus more on making improvements on his 2025 season and less on getting paid or his stupid “Rivalry packs”.  What?  You don’t remember that from last season?

Harper came out with a collection of custom Under Armour cleats and batting gloves designed to match the colors of the Phillies division rivals.  It went over about as badly as you would expect with Phillies fans and Harper quickly ditched the idea.  The problem is that he ever thought that was a good idea in the first place.  Oh yeah, Bryce, we all want to see your unique spin on the cleats and gloves that celebrate the hated Mets.  Not!

Stick to wearing Phillie Phanatic gear, Bryce.  The Phillies fans actually like that.  You know, because it’s their team.  And the Phillies front office and ownership love that because they make money off selling more team merchandise.  I get that you don’t get paid for that, but the team is giving you $330 million to play.  Your family isn’t going to need food stamps for a few generations. 

Harper should concentrate on not swinging at so many pitches out of the strike zone.  He should concentrate more on not being an overly aggressive idiot on the basepaths.  He should concentrate more on being a better team leader, because for all he’s getting paid, it’s obvious that Kyle Schwarber is the real leader in the Phillies clubhouse.

Bryce Harper needs to shut up and just play baseball.  No, wait.  Bryce Harper needs to shut and just play better baseball than he did last year, when he was most definitely not elite.