The Phillies need to capitalize on Bryce Harper’s current hot streak
By David Esser
As Philadelphia Phillies fans have become well aware of over the last 2+ seasons, Bryce Harper is a streaky player at the plate. Some nights he’ll go 0-4 with four strikeouts, other nights he’ll look like the 2015 MVP version of himself, willing teams to victory with his insane offensive ability.
For the record, that’s just who Bryce is. If you were expecting some sort of stoic, wildly consistent hitter who grinds out at-bats every single game (like Freddie Freeman or Mookie Betts for example), you were simply mistaken. Harper is typically either red hot or slumping, but when he’s red hot, he’s genuinely one of the best players in baseball.
As I’m writing this, Harper is smack in the middle of one of those trademark hot streaks. He’s batting .647 with a 1.845 OPS over his last 17 at-bats, carrying the Phillies to a series win over the Cardinals and a sweep-avoiding win over the Giants on Wednesday.
Following his dominant last couple of games, Harper currently sits third in the NL in terms of OPS (1.118), and first in the NL in OBP (.493). While the Phillies record may not reflect a team that boasts a real MVP candidate, Harper very much has the numbers to put him in that conversation.
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The only problem with Harper’s recent run of scorching hot form, is that it hasn’t necessarily translated over to a ton of wins – and that’s obviously not Bryce’s fault. Matt Moore cost the Phillies a shot at a win against the Cards on Saturday, the rest of the offense didn’t show up on Monday against the Giants, and the bullpen blew a sizable lead on Tuesday.
When Harper is swinging the bat the way in which he has been, it needs to translate into more wins. Bryce is doing his part, the pressure is now on the roster to do theirs.
Most notably, the players around Harper in the batting order have really failed to live up to their end of the bargain. Rhys Hoskins’ OPS is down in the low .700s, Andrew McCutchen and Alec Bohm have both gotten off to slow starts, and the CF position is obviously a nightmare at the moment. If the Phillies are going to win more than 82 games this season, the rest of the offense needs to find it within themselves to provide some firepower around Bryce when he’s this hot.
The Phillies need to capitalize on Bryce Harper’s current MVP-caliber form.
The Phillies quest to get back over .500 begins Friday night, as Vince Velasquez will make his first start of the season against the Rockies at Coors Field. While the hitter-friendly ballpark should be great for guys like Hoskins and Bohm as they try to find their swings, it’s a two-way street, and Velasquez will likely be subject to a hefty number of earned runs.
A perfect example of a game where the Phillies offense will need to be collectively firing on all cylinders. 2-3 strong at-bats from Harper likely won’t be enough to will the team to a win with Vince on the mound.
Next. Phillies: Weekend road trip to Coors Fields needs to be a productive one. dark
Ultimately speaking, seeing Harper play so well the last few days is obviously a good thing. There were some quiet concerns regarding his lower back health during the offseason, but it doesn’t seem to be hindering his offensive power all that much through 18 games.
However, wasting such an awesome stretch of form would be quite the mishap by this Phillies team. Harper won’t be hitting .600+ for the whole season, stacking up on wins while he is needs to happen.