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Harper's Presence Changes the Landscape of the Phillies' Lineup

Dating back to last season, the Philadelphia Phillies lineup is a completely different animal when Harper is in it.

Author:
Lauren Amour
May 18, 2022 4:30 PM EDT

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Philadelphia Phillies

When Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper was awarded the second MVP Award of his career in November of 2021, it didn't come as much of a surprise to anyone who watched his historic second-half unfold.

His league-leading OPS of 1.188, 20 homers, and 50 RBI to finish out the season kept the Phillies afloat, and he nearly single-handedly carried Philadelphia to the postseason. As the rest of his teammates posted a .688 OPS down the stretch, Harper perfectly fulfilled what it means to be a 'Most Valuable Player,' thus earning him the honor.

That's pretty much been the story of Harper's career in Philadelphia thus far. He's exceeded expectations, dating back to the second-half of the 2019 season. While many critics have questioned Harper's leadership and inability to break the team's 10-year postseason drought immediately, it's important to remember that it takes a team to win, not an individual player.

Harper has also suffered his fair share of injuries, with his most recent one being a UCL tear. A PRP injection he received on Sunday has kept him out of the lineup for the past two games, and his absence has been felt.

Despite the tear, the 29-year-old earned NL Player of the Week honors for his offensive performance during the week of May 9, in which he slashed .609/.643/1.261 with six doubles, three home runs, eight RBI, four walks, and three stolen bases in just 28 plate appearances. Surprisingly, the first of his Phillies' career.

He led the Phillies to five wins on a tough West Coast trip that saw them win series against the Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Dodgers. Philadelphia's offense absolutely exploded for 50 runs over the seven-game stretch.

Since being removed from the lineup, though, the Phillies have scored just four runs on 13 hits, and have looked like a completely different ball club than the one from last week.

Harper continues to be Philadelphia's most valuable player. His 172 wRC+ and .421 wOBA each exemplify just how crucial he is to jumpstarting this Phillies' offense. Excluding Harper's hits to at-bats, Phillies batters (min. 50 ABs) pose just a .234 BA and have scored 143 runs, where as with Harper, they're batting .242 and have scored 172 runs. Their .253 team batting average is currently second in the league, and 172 runs are tied for seventh with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Harper's .634 slugging percentage leads the Phillies by a wide margin, with Jean Segura in second with .491. His .994 OPS also blows every one out of the water, with Segura's .854 once again placing second. Harper's impressive numbers have helped elevate Philadelphia's .424 team SLG to tops in the league, as well as their .739 OPS, which ranks third.

Essentially, the Phillies need Harper more than he needs them, which is why this bulked-up lineup—built to score a lot of runs—must do right by him and not completely fall flat in his absence.