It was only five years ago, ink still drying from his $330 million contract, that Bryce Harper was given an ignominious designation by his MLB peers as the league’s most overrated player, and by a landslide.
We already knew that Harper’s reputation around the league had changed in the half-decade since, but Monday gave us another example. Harper was voted by over 100 of his MLB player peers the second-fiercest competitor in the league, as revealed over on MLB.com.
Harper came behind only current Texas Ranger and former Washington Nationals teammate Max Scherzer in the poll. One anonymous American League outfielder pointed to Harper’s clutch factor and his “ridiculous” highlight reel, adding that he’s “only ever heard good things” about the two-time MVP from his former teammates.
Harper’s been known to wear his emotions on his sleeve ever since he debuted with Washington as a 19-year-old in 2012. At the outset of his career, it generally rubbed people the wrong way. But as Harper has aged (curbing the bat-smashing after strikeouts and building a resume that’ll likely end in a Hall of Fame plaque), the court of public opinion has mostly turned in his favor, particularly while he’s been a Phillie. His production, particularly in clutch situations, is a large contributor: He has a career .276/.383/.613 slash line in the postseason — an OPS just below 1.000 — including an other-worldly run in 2022 that helped carry the Phillies to the postseason.
Harper also seemed to get positive reviews for his toughness — at least in MLB.com‘s piece, which highlighted his way-ahead-of-schedule return from Tommy John surgery at the beginning of May last year, instead of the estimated timetable of a return around the All-Star Break.
It’s not as though Harper doesn’t ever let his emotions boil over anymore. He still gets himself ejected from time to time, including a few last season. It’s just that now, the occasional outbursts come against a backdrop of consistent production, often in the highest-leverage situations and deep into October. It’s earned Harper some high praise from his colleagues.
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