Sep 19, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Philadelphia Phillies infielder Bryce Harper (3) watches on from the dugout before his first at bat of the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-Imagn Images Allan Henry
You don't have to wonder what Bryce Harper will be asked about first when he arrives in Clearwater next February for Spring Training, as president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski issued what felt like a challenge to the two-time NL MVP during his year-end press conference last week.
Until Harper talks, the best we can do is his representation. Scott Boras, never shy to give his opinion on anything, spoke with Christian Red for his Substack —H/T Jack Fritz of SportsRadio 94 WIP — about Dombrowski's comments regarding his most high-profile client:
“I don’t think Dave (Dombrowski) or John (Middleton) or anybody is contemplating Bryce Harper not being a Philadelphia Phillie for the rest of his career,” Scott Boras, said in a phone interview. “Remember, there’s only ten (10) qualified hitters that had a .355 OBP (On-Base Percentage) and .485 SLG (Slugging Percentage) this year: Bryce, (Shohei) Ohtani, (Kyle) Schwarber, (Juan) Soto, (Cal) Raleigh, (Aaron) Judge, (José) Ramírez, (Freddie) Freeman, (George) Springer and (Ketel) Marte. If you want to talk about Harper’s minimums due to injury, there they are.
“Pretty nice group.”
If you need a refresher of what Dombrowski had to say about Harper's season last Thursday, On Pattison's Anthony SanFilippo wrote an entire story on it that's worth your time. Here's a sampling:
"I guess we'll find out if he becomes elite (again) or he continues to be good," Dombrowski said of Harper. "Can he rise to the next level? I don't really know the answer. He's the one that will dictate that more than anything else.
"I don't think he's content with the year that he had. 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. I don't think he fit into that category. Very good player, but I have no idea. I've seen guys his age ... level off, and I've seen guys rise again. We'll see what happens."
By his own standards, Bryce Harper had a down season. Will that become a trend? Dave Dombrowski says it’s up to Harper.
“I guess we will find out if he becomes elite, or if he continues to be good.”
(via @GraceDelPizzo) pic.twitter.com/8hjsp5yJRC
Dombrowski went on to compare Harper to Freddie Freeman, a fellow future Hall of Famer that was closer to very good than great in 2025. The difference is Harper just turned 33, while Freeman is 36. In Freeman's age-32 season, he finished fourth in NL MVP voting. In his age-33 season, Freeman set a new Los Angeles Dodgers' franchise record with 59 doubles and finished third in a crowded NL MVP race. It feels like Harper should still be at the height of his powers, even if he's at the back end of them.
A .261 batting average with 27 home runs, 75 RBIs, 70 walks and an .844 OPS is very good. But it's the type of production you would hope Harper is putting up when he's 36, not 32.
Boras, though, pointed out that in terms of WAR, Harper was better than in quite a few other seasons in his career.
“I agree that (Harper) missed time due to injury and that his volume was down, but other than that, Bryce Harper is performing at an elite level on a number of characteristics that we keep track of,” said Boras. “By comparing Harper to Harper, his WAR (Wins Above Replacement) in 2025 was as good or better than it was in the 2019, 2022, and 2023 seasons with Philadelphia. And better than his 2016 and 2018 seasons with Washington (Nationals). Granted, he missed time in ’22 and ’23, but his WAR is the same as those seasons, too.”
Fair enough, but Harper played through a right shoulder injury in 2016 as a member of the Nationals. 2018 and 2019 were considered good, but not great seasons. More recently, he only played in 99 games in 2022 after an errant Blake Snell pitch fractured his left thumb. He missed the first month of the season in 2023 as he recovered from Tommy John surgery, and it took him a while that year to rediscover his power. For his 2025 season to have a higher WAR than those isn't really that shocking.
An injury again limited Harper in 2025, as he missed most of June with right wrist inflammation. Dombrowski said last week that Harper came out of the regular season healthy and there's no expectation of him needing any offseason work on his wrist.
Nonetheless, the recurring theme in all of the years where Harper hasn't performed at his peak level are injuries. Dombrowski's quotes on Harper would make more sense if there were work ethic concerns. Harper's problem in 2025 — and much of the last few seasons — hasn't been an ability to get to an elite level at some point in the season, but an ability to sustain it when an injury forces him to take a detour. As he prepares for his 15th season, the real question is whether Harper's body will allow him to be consistently elite again.
