Bryce Harper: ‘I wish I started my career’ with the Phillies

Imagine if Bryce Harper started his baseball career in Philly.

Imagine if baseball’s “Chosen One” was drafted first overall by the Phillies rather than the Washington Nationals in 2010. What would be different today? Imagine if he won 2012 NL Rookie of the Year in a Phillies uniform. Or if his first MVP, Silver Slugger, Hank Aaron Award, and first six All-Star selections were for the Phillies, rather than the Nats.

Harper, who signed a 13-year, $330 million contract with the Phillies in 2019, wishes he could turn back the clock, too.

In his postgame interview on SportsRadio 94WIP after the Phillies’ 8-4 win over the Royals on Sunday, Harper talked about playing in Philadelphia after watching the fans give the struggling Trea Turner standing ovations during the series.

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“I have so much emotion toward it, because it’s just, I absolutely frickin’ love it,” Harper said. “I don’t want to play anywhere else. I wish I started my career here, just the way it is and how lucky we are to do this.”

Turner, in the midst of the worst slump of his career, began receiving standing ovations from Phillies fans during his plate appearances Friday as a show of encouragement. Turner, who signed a $300 million deal in the offseason, answered the fans’ calls with a go-ahead, three-run home run on Saturday, his first in Philadelphia since June 25.

Phillies fans have a reputation for being some of the toughest to play for. Remember when Alec Bohm made three errors in the first three innings of an April 2022 game last year against the Mets? When the third baseman finally made a routine fielding play, Citizens Bank Park erupted in sarcastic cheers, prompting Bohm to turn to shortstop Didi Gregorius and say the now-infamous line, “I [expletive] hate this place.”

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Bohm quickly made his way back into the fans’ good graces. He owned up to the remark, which was caught on camera and quickly went viral, and apologized for it after the game. He got his own standing ovation the next day. Phillies fans aren’t holding a grudge against Turner, either, and their support hasn’t gone unnoticed by Harper.

“Just such an incredible moment for [Turner] to be able to go out there and know that the fans have his back and have our team’s back,” Harper said. “That should be something for us too, as a team, to take advantage of and know, like, they got us. No matter what, they got us. Being able to know that on a personal level and on a team level as well, there’s nothing greater. I can go on and on, we just have such a great fan base and I am so thankful to be here and be a part of it.”

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This isn’t the first time Harper has expressed his desire to remain a Phillie for the rest of his career. With the Oakland A’s imminent relocation to Harper’s hometown of Las Vegas, natural questions arose of whether Harper would want to move home to play in the city in which he grew up.

Speaking to The Athletic on June 15, Harper resoundingly shut those rumors down.

“I hope I die in a Phillies jersey,” he said.