What’s possible for Bryce Harper, full-time first baseman? ‘He could win a Gold Glove there.’

Bryce Harper learned to play first base in three months last season — while simultaneously recovering from elbow surgery and designated hitting every day — and somehow finished three outs above average, according to Statcast, in 36 games at his new position.

Imagine what he could do if he gave it his full attention.

“I believe he can win a Gold Glove there,” Phillies infield coach Bobby Dickerson said.

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Dickerson mentioned this over the phone while driving 10 hours from his Mississippi home to Clearwater, Fla., for spring training, and, well, it was notable. He has coached for more than 30 years in five organizations and hit millions of grounders to players of all skill levels. At 58, he doesn’t do insincere flattery.

When Harper volunteered to give first base a try last April, less than a month after Rhys Hoskins tore his ACL, Dickerson tempered his expectations. Seven months later, when his bosses asked his opinion on Harper’s first base future, Dickerson was sold.

“I didn’t expect as good as I saw, honestly,” Dickerson said. “Although I also knew this is Bryce Harper and the sky’s the limit for this guy. He’s such a talent, and he holds himself in such high expectation that I should’ve knew he was going to be fine. I felt he would be fine, but he was a little better than fine.”

Oh, but there’s much more to do. Harper began his first-base crash course before doctors cleared him to throw. Even after that restriction was lifted, he rebuilt his arm strength gradually. He didn’t take full-fledged infield practice until late June and didn’t unleash throws to bases until July 4.

So, while Dickerson taught Harper the basics of first base — footwork around the bag; where to be on bunt plays and cutoffs; how to make quick decisions on grounders in the hole between first and second — they were unable to spend as much time on other things, such as throwing.

Harper compensated by “just kind of letting the athleticism take over,” he said in October. But there were times when he had to make a play in a game without much practice. To wit: In the third inning of Game 7 of the National League Championship Series, Harper’s high throw to second base on a pickoff play enabled Arizona’s Corbin Carroll to slide in before the tag.

It was the mark of a novice first baseman. And, take it from Dickerson, it can be ironed out over the next few weeks on the half-field adjacent to the home clubhouse at BayCare Ballpark.

“The throwing part is one of the biggest things,” Dickerson said. “The quick transfer [when] you’ve got to throw to second base. It’s just games played. I’d like to see him get those situations and have them come up a lot in spring training. We’re going to do a lot of situational-type work on understanding how the actual position is played.”

But Harper’s higher-level feel for the game, even at a new position, struck Dickerson throughout last season. Harper grew up playing some third base and was a catcher through junior college. He didn’t play the outfield until he got drafted by the Nationals, but stayed there for 11 major-league seasons.

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“Working with Bobby, learning on the fly, it kind of reminds me of when I got drafted,” Harper said during the playoffs. “They were like, ‘Hey, you’re going to go to the outfield and learn on the fly.’ I feel good at first base. I need to continue to progress and get better.”

Harper’s interest in learning first base stemmed from injuries to Hoskins and replacement Darick Hall. He also said he wanted young third baseman Alec Bohm to focus on one position rather than having to fill in at first.

There were other benefits. Harper’s move to first base freed the DH spot for Kyle Schwarber, which, in turn, opened left field for Brandon Marsh and center for Johan Rojas. Suddenly, the Phillies had the outfield blanketed like a tarp.

The Phillies went 21-15 in Harper’s regular-season starts at first base. They went 12-8, including 6-4 in the postseason, with Harper at first, Marsh in left, Rojas in center, and Schwarber at DH. It was their best overall alignment.

Dickerson said he and Harper never discussed a permanent move to first base. Perhaps it was out of respect for Hoskins, the popular homegrown slugger who missed the season and was headed for free agency.

But the seriousness with which Harper approached learning a new position left little doubt that he was open to staying there. In a Nov. 3 meeting with Harper at Citizens Bank Park, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said the team preferred keeping him at first base. Harper didn’t object.

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And so, Harper is poised to begin what amounts to the second half of his career as a full-fledged first baseman. He’s a two-time MVP as an outfielder. Only four players have won the MVP at multiple positions: Alex Rodriguez (shortstop, third base) and Hall of Famers Robin Yount (shortstop, outfield), Stan Musial (outfield, first base), and Hank Greenberg (first base, outfield).

“He sees the game differently than a lot of players,” Dickerson said. “A lot of guys can play, and they’re just really, really good. This guy, he 100 percent almost sees the game as a coach. He likes thinking, ‘Why did this manager do that’ or ‘Why do you have the second baseman going out on a relay?’ I do believe his mental capacity for the game helps him along with all his physical ability.

“I think he could definitely be one of the best [first basemen] there.”

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