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Bryce Harper seemed to have a message for a key face on his own team.
Shortly after the Philadelphia Phillies were ousted from the playoffs, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski proclaimed that his star first baseman “did not have an elite season like he has had in the past.”
He wasn’t entirely wrong: Harper hit .261 with an .844 OPS in 2025, both below his career averages. In his two MVP seasons, he hit over .300 with an OPS over 1.000.
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Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies laughs during the game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Minnesota Twins at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. (Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Harper expressed his displeasure with Dombrowski’s comments shortly afterward, and the two men reportedly discussed the matter privately. However, it doesn’t seem like Harper is completely over the situation.
In a recent TikTok post of himself in a batting cage, Harper was seen wearing a shirt that said “NOT ELITE.”
Harper turned 33 a week after the Phillies were eliminated by the Los Angeles Dodgers, who ultimately won their second straight World Series. The Phillies were a mainstay in October of this decade, but couldn’t get over the hump.
Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies watches the fourth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Citizens Bank Park on August 1, 2025, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Céan Couto/Getty Images)
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Dombrowski said Harper is “still an All-Star caliber player,” but “we can only know if he becomes elite or if he continues to be good.”
“I look around the league…Freddie Freeman. He’s a very good player, isn’t he? He’s still a good player. Is he elite like he was before? Probably not to the same extent. Freddie is a tremendous player. And to me, that’s Bryce. Can he still get to the next level?” » said Dombrowski. “I don’t really know that answer.
“I mean, really, he’s the one who will dictate that more than anything else, that’s what it comes down to. I don’t think he’s happy with the year he had. And, again, it wasn’t a bad year, but when I think of Bryce Harper, you think elite, you think one of the top 10 players in baseball, and I don’t think so. [his 2025 season] fall into this category. But again, he’s a very good player.”
Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies bats during the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Citizens Bank Park on April 14, 2025, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Émilee Chinn/Getty Images)
Harper played in 132 games this season, ending up on injured reserve with a wrist injury. He signed a 13-year, $330 million contract with the Phillies before the 2019 season.
