NEWNow you can listen to Pak Gazette articles!
Bryce Harper seemed to have a message for a key face on his own team.
Shortly after the Philadelphia Phillies were ousted from the postseason, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski proclaimed that his star first baseman “didn’t have an elite season like he’s had in the past.”
He wasn’t exactly wrong: Harper hit .261 with an .844 OPS in 2025, both below his career averages. In both of his MVP seasons, he hit over .300 with an OPS over 1.000.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PakGazette.Com
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 displeasure with Dombrowski’s comments shortly afterward, and the two are said to have discussed the matter privately. However, it doesn’t seem like Harper is completely over it.
In a recent TikTok post of himself in a batting cage, Harper was seen wearing a t-shirt that read, “NOT ELITE.”
Harper turned 33 a week after the Phillies were eliminated by the Los Angeles Dodgers, who ultimately won their second consecutive World Series. The Phillies have been a mainstay in October this decade, but they haven’t been able to get over the hump.
Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies watches during the fourth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Citizens Bank Park on August 1, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Caean Couto/Getty Images)
SPORTS TEAMS THAT WERE CROWNED CHAMPIONS IN 2025
Dombrowski said Harper was “still an All-Star caliber player” but “we can only find out if he becomes elite or if he continues to be good.”
“I look around the league… Freddie Freeman. He’s a really good player, right? 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 rise to the next level again?” Dombrowski said. “I really don’t 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 about Bryce Harper, you’re thinking elite, you’re thinking one of the 10 best players in baseball, and I don’t think [his 2025 season] fit into that category. But, I repeat, very good player.”
Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies bats in the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Citizens Bank Park on April 14, 2025, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
Harper played in 132 games this season and landed on the disabled list with a wrist injury. He signed a 13-year, $330 million contract with the Phillies before the 2019 season.
