The last time we left Bryce Harper, it was early November and Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski was telling reporters he cleared the air with the two-time MVP after publicly questioning if he can post another elite season.
They might need another conversation.
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It can be hard to determine intent from a single social media post or fashion choice, but there are only so many ways to interpret Harper posting a video of himself on TikTok taking swings while wearing a shirt that says “Not Elite.”
That could obviously mean a few things. Maybe Harper is still peeved about Dombrowski’s comments. Maybe he’s become friendly enough with the executive that the elite question has become a joke to them. Maybe he’s decided to lean into the criticism and is now presenting it as motivation.
Still, it’s quite a choice to drag that argument back into the public sphere, especially during an uneasy offseason for the franchise.
There are a lot of things Bryce Harper could be saying with his “Not Elite” shirt. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
(Katelyn Mulcahy via Getty Images)
In case you need a refresher, here’s what Dombrowski said about Harper in an end-of-season news conference:
“He still is a good player. Is he elite like he was before? Probably not to the same extent. And so that’s nothing negative. Freddie’s a tremendous player, and that, to me, is Bryce. Can he rise to the next level again? I don’t really know that answer. I mean, really, he’s the one that will dictate that more than anything else, is what it comes down to.
“I don’t think he’s content with the year that he had. And, again, it wasn’t a bad year, but when I think of Bryce Harper, you’re thinking elite, you’re thinking one of the top 10 players in baseball, and I don’t think [his 2025 season] fit into that category. But, again, very good player.”
Harper responded by saying he was “hurt” by Dombrowski’s comments and some subsequent trade speculation, leading to Dombrowski speaking to him in private and indicating the matter was settled.
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Dombrowski wasn’t exactly wrong with his initial comments, though, which might be why the comments bothered Harper.
It’s been four years since the 33-year-old won his second MVP award in 2021 after hitting .309/.429/.615 with 35 homers. In the seasons since then, he’s hit .281/.374/.506 while struggling with injuries, which still makes him a very good hitter, just not in the top tier. His. 361 wOBA ranked 21st among qualified MLB hitters last season.
