LOVERRO: Harper has become the hero Philadelphia always wanted

Bryce Harper has become a Philly icon.

The former Washington Nationals star has become everything that was expected of him when he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated at the age of 16. He is everything we thought he would be when he was selected by the Washington Nationals as the first pick in the 2010 baseball draft.

Not that he was a failure here. Harper was the National League Rookie of the Year in 2012, a six-time All-Star and won the National League Most Valuable Player in 2015 (he would win a second award in Philadelphia in 2021). He was thrilling to watch and brought fans to the ballpark.

But he was never what he has become in Philadelphia — beloved by a passionate fan base and well-liked and respected in the clubhouse.

In a city that can skin its sports heroes alive, Harper may be the most Philly athlete ever. That’s what writer John Stolnis wondered in a May article for billypenn.com after Harper, following a home run at Coors Field in an 8-5 win over the Colorado Rockies, had some words with some Rockies fans behind home plate who had been riding him during the game:

“Has there ever been a more perfect fit of city and player than Philadelphia and Bryce Harper? From his on-field production, intensity level, and personality, I’m hard-pressed to think of anyone who would rise above him in this category.”

There are Harper shirts and jerseys everywhere at Citizens Bank Park. When he played right field, Harper would bow to the fans in the right field seats. That made those seats a premium location for fans who wanted to be part of the lovefest. He has been worth the $330 million Phillies owner John Middleton is paying him and more.

Harper led the Phillies to the World Series last year and is center stage again in the National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves. And he did so in athletic courageous style, tearing a ligament in his right elbow last year, limiting him to designated hitter duties, then coming back from elbow surgery in November to make the fastest recovery ever for a position player, coming back to play after the All-Star break this season.

He left pieces of himself on the field at Citizens Bank Park, Typically, Philly fans typically like to cut those pieces off themselves for souvenirs.

They love him for it. And he, whether sincere or not, professed his love for the city’s fans since he arrived as a free agent in 2019 after signing a 13-year contract with the Phillies, leaving Washington in the rear-view mirror.

“I wanted to be able to go through the ups and downs with a city,” Harper said at his introductory press conference. “I wanted to build my family in a city. I wanted to be instilled into a city, the community, and really let that city know that I’m part of them”.

Now, he moved to Tennessee this past winter. But he hasn’t stopped testifying about his love for the city and its fans. After they gave his former Washington teammate Trea Turner standing ovations while the shortstop was struggling in a slump, Harper went on SportsRadio94WIP and said, “I have so much emotion toward it, because it’s just, I absolutely frickin’ love it. I don’t want to play anywhere else. I wish I started my career here, just the way it is and how lucky we are to do this.” 

Ouch.

He was loved in Washington as well. But, let’s face it, that love was always muted by the fact that Nationals fans knew from the day he arrived in 2012, his agent, Scott Boras, would whisk him away as soon as he could. They lived with the reality that their Harper jerseys had a shelf life. 

Philly fans knew they would be getting the best of Harper for years. He wasn’t going anywhere. Hearts would not be broken.

There was little love for Harper in the Washington clubhouse. His teammates tired of the hype that Harper did all he could to stoke. When he got into the infamous dugout fight with reliever Jonathan Papelbon in 2015, most of the Nationals clubhouse sided with Papelbon. There were times when teammates expressed frustration to management about Harper’s style and effort.

Not in Philadelphia, apparently. “He is well-liked in the clubhouse,” said a source familiar with the team. “They respect him, coming back from the injuries so quickly. They recognize that he loves the Bryce ‘brand.’ Some teammates call him “Showman.” But the plusses outweigh the minuses.”

Philadelphia has turned out to be the right place and the right time for Harper. He will be 31 on Monday and is one of the older players now on the roster, as opposed to Washington, where he was the brash young kid. He is more mature. Harper married in 2016 but did not become a father until 2019, when the first of his two children were born.

I’m not sure if this would have ever happened for him in Washington. There was too much history, too much baggage that young Bryce accumulated here. He appears to have left that behind.

You can hear Thom Loverro on The Kevin Sheehan Show podcast.