The Bryce Harper conversation: Why he’s open to an outfield return, his love of Pilates, playing past 40, and more
The Harper era has been an unequivocal success as it enters season seven. The Phillies star talked with The Inquirer about how he’s done it and what’s still to come.
CLEARWATER, Fla. — When the Phillies signed Bryce Harper, the contract represented the longest commitment — 13 years — ever given to a free agent in the history of North American professional sports.
It’s already at the midpoint.
Time flies when you’re the Face of the Franchise.
“Oh man, from my side it’s gone so quick just because I’ve had so much fun,” Harper said this week. “The relationships I’ve gained, from people that I’ve played with to our training staff to our clubhouse guys, just everything about it, it’s been a blast.”
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Six seasons down, six (at least) to go after this year, the Harper era has been an unequivocal success. The Phillies increased their full-season win total from 81 in 2019 to 82 in 2021, 87 in 2022, 90 in 2023, and 95 last year. They made the playoffs three years in a row for only the third time in franchise history, went to a World Series, and won an NL East crown.
Harper won an MVP award, bashed a pennant-clinching homer that will be remembered forever, made the fastest return on record from Tommy John surgery, and changed positions, moving from right field to first base. He also was as productive from ages 26 to 31 (.285/.391/.533, 152 homers, 23.3 WAR) as he was from 20 to 25 with the Nationals (.281/.396/.519, 162 homers, 22.5 WAR).
And yet …
“We haven’t got the main goal done,” Harper said. “We haven’t checked that one off. I feel like we’ve checked everything else off in between. As a team, we’ve done a great job winning games. We just haven’t won the last one. That’s the goal every year that we come in here. And hopefully this year is the year.”
Harper is 24 RBIs from becoming the fourth player ever with 1,000 RBIs, 1,000 walks, and 100 stolen bases by age 32. The others: Mickey Mantle, Carl Yastrzemski, and Barry Bonds.
But history says it will get more difficult. Harper is among 75 players who posted an OPS of .920 or better in at least 3,000 plate appearances from ages 26 to 31. Only 25 reached those thresholds from ages 32 to 37.
Harper discussed his chances for longevity and more in a wide-ranging interview before a game this week at BayCare Ballpark. Answers have been edited for clarity and length:
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Q: The Phillies won more regular-season games per year for the last three years but lost one round earlier in the playoffs. How do you reconcile that? And how does this group get over the hump?
A: There’s the give-and-take of, you like to win, you want to win, so you don’t want to take away winning the division. But it’s about winning the pennant or the division series and getting further. [In 2023], I think Arizona outpitched us, outplayed us, outcoached us, everything, those last couple of games. And then, obviously, the Mets [last year], same thing. They outcoached us, outplayed us, outperformed us. We just have to not really worry about a matchup and go in and play our game, understanding timely hitting is huge, bullpen is huge, having depth in our team and rotation is huge. I mean, all of it.
It’s just playing your game, each guy just not trying to do too much. If each guy just does their job, then we’ll be OK. When you try to elevate your game too much, I think that’s when you get in trouble. I think there’s some times where, myself included, we try to do too much or we try to do something a little bit different. But I think if we understand our DNA as a team or as individuals in this clubhouse, I think we’ll be right where we need to be.
Things got to go right. When teams get hot in baseball — same thing with hockey, a team can get hot in hockey and it’s like, ‘Whoa. Watch out.’ But we have to win the games that we need to and not let those [late leads] fall through the cracks. The Mets played us well all year long, and that was a tough matchup for us. But at the same time, it’s a team that just flat-out beat us. Just got to try to flush that, but remember it, too, at the same time and understand that we can learn from the mistakes that we made. And this year, we’re trying to win the last one.
Q: In a recent interview with The Athletic, you revealed that you volunteered in the offseason to move back to the outfield if it would help improve the roster. Is that a standing offer? Do you see yourself ever playing the outfield again?
A: I think obviously they like me at first base. I think that they believe in me to play there. But if something came up at the [trade] deadline that would make us a better team or anything like that, I would obviously make the decision to go back out there if they wanted me to.
For the long term? Probably not. But for the short term, I definitely would.
Q: Christian Walker won the last three NL Gold Gloves at first base. He’s in the American League now after signing with the Astros. Do you think you can be a Gold Glove first baseman?
A: Yeah, just the work I’ve been able to put in, I think that’s the goal, to have a full infield of Gold Glovers, right? You look around and see some Gold Gloves in our clubhouse, and that’s a real goal. It’s a real good opportunity for myself this year. Things have to go right. I’ve got to stay healthy. But I imagine that I can play at the top of the league over there at first base.
Q: You’ve said you want to play into your 40s. You’re 32 now. Can staying at first base help with achieving longevity?
A: I think the way I play first base is a little different than most. Christian Walker, [Matt] Olson, Freddie [Freeman], [Paul Goldschmidt], I think there’s some guys that play it a different way, an athletic way, and I think people can see that. But I think, later in my career, the DH, first base, left field, I think those will obviously help me play to a longer degree than what my contract says. But from a health standpoint, I feel unbelievable right now. That’s one thing we’ve talked about with the trainers and my staff in there is this is the best I’ve felt in spring in a long time.
Q: You played through irritation in your right wrist and elbow last season. Looking back, how much did it affect you? And what’s the status of those injuries now?
A: Yeah, at the end of last season it was pretty good pain. But there’s nothing much that you could really do. It was kind of like a bone bruise into my hand, the lunate bone, right up top, so I had to let it heal the best I could. This spring, I’ve felt great with it. Obviously there’s aches and pains for everybody, but that one kind of hit me a little bit harder last year.
Q: Do you train differently now than when you were younger?
A: Yeah, as you go longer in the season and you play later into the year, you try to take off a little bit longer and understand that your body needs to heal after nine months of a grueling season. So I took a little bit of time off and got back into all the stuff I needed to, from weight training, agility, Pilates. If I can kind of maintain that, understanding what works for my body, how I feel, the way I eat, the way I prepare every day. My kids [son, Krew, 5; daughters, Brooklyn, 4, and Kamryn, 10 months] keep me young, too, so that’s good.
But I think just understanding what works for me and not just going in the gym and lifting the house, you know? It’s understanding I need to make my body feel good as I do it, too. Being able to work out every day in camp this year with [strength and conditioning coach] Morgan [Gregory] for the last six weeks, it’s been good.
Q: Pilates, eh?
A: I started Pilates about eight years ago — heavily — and I absolutely love it. It’s probably my favorite. Pilates reformer [machine]. I have a great trainer out in Vegas, and she kills me. It’s a lot of fun. The way it makes my body feel, the way I have to use every muscle possible in my body, every fiber in my body, there’s no workout like it. I mean, there’s no workout like it. People laugh and [say] this, that, and the other, but I would love to see another guy go in there and do it. Because they always say, ‘Oh, I can’t believe you’re doing Pilates.’ I’m like, ‘C’mon. Come join me. See what it’s like.’ It’s fun. Pilates is three times a week, and then weight train twice a week. It just feels good on my joints and everything else.
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Q: You’re halfway through this contract, which runs through your age-38 season. You’ve talked about wanting to finish your career with the Phillies, and your agent, Scott Boras, has lobbied publicly on your behalf for a renegotiation and/or an extension. Where does that stand? And why is it a topic now when you’re signed through 2031?
A: Obviously, as you know, I want to play longer than what [the contract] looks like, and I kind of just want to know where I’m going to be, plain and simple. I think from my side, I just want to know where I’m going to be. Obviously I want to wear the pinstripes — the red pinstripes [laughs] — and understand that we’re going to be here, and we’re going to be here for a long time, hopefully. We’ll see what happens.
I’ve enjoyed it so much. It’s just been a great decision for myself and my family, and I look forward to making more memories going forward.