Bryce Harper is still one of the Philadelphia Phillies' best hitters, but their hitting wants to see this trend reverse.
There were plenty of conversations over the winter about the type of player Bryce Harper is at this point in his career. He's still considered one of MLB's top star players, but can he be the best hitter on a World Series-winning team?
Whether Harper is still an "elite" player or not, the Philadelphia Phillies' pitching coach, Kevin Long, does believe there is one area that the superstar can improve in: hitting with runners in scoring position.
"He’s gotten ultra-aggressive, especially with runners in scoring position," said Long during an interview with Phillies Nation.
"In the past, he’s been really, really good as far as being disciplined, so I don’t think it’s going to be a big deal. He understands that he can’t survive swinging that much and being that aggressive. He’s got to bring (pitchers) back into the strike zone. Once they do that, his numbers will obviously go up in every category."
This is a very interesting observation from Philadelphia's hitting coach.
Harper hit .233/.357/.405 with running in scoring position a year ago. Those numbers in themselves aren't horrible, but Harper's strikeout rate of 21.7 percent with RISP is something that could be improved.
In 2021, when Harper won the National League MVP, he had a strikeout rate of 18.4 percent with runners in scoring position, not too different from the previous season.
Jul 4, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first base Bryce Harper (3) tosses his bat after striking out to end the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn ImagesHowever, Harper's overall chase-rate has risen over the last few years.
In 2025, he had a chase rate of 35.6 percent, which ranked in the 11th percentile, and a whiff rate of 30.7 percent, which ranked in the 13th percentile.
Again, looking back at his sensational 2021 campaign, Harper was chasing at just 24.8 percent of the pitches he saw.
Rob Thomson is still unsure exactly how the top of his lineup will look once Opening Day comes around.
It'll be interesting to see where he positions Harper in the order and who's hitting around him.
Does it make sense for Harper to hit second in the order, behind Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber, so that he doesn't have the feeling of needing to do too much in the lineup?
Phillies Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Phillies. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.