30 Numbers to Remember on Bryce Harper’s 30th birthday
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One day after clinching a NLCS berth for the first time in his career, Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper is celebrating his 30th birthday.
Here are 30 numbers that help to tell the story of Harper’s career thus far:
19 – Age During MLB debut
Harper was a young phenom, notably making it to the cover of a Sports Illustrated magazine when he was 16. After being drafted in 2010, Harper made his debut in 2012 with the Washington Nationals.
44.2 – fWAR
Since Harper’s MLB debut in 2012, he ranks 10th among all major-league position players.
285 – Career Home Runs
Harper is just 30 years old. When Mike Schmidt turned 30, he had 235 home runs.
122 — Career Stolen Bases
An aggressive runner, Harper often times gets himself into trouble on the basepaths. Perhaps his most remembered stolen base is one that came against the Phillies during his rookie season, when he stole home just a few pitches after Cole Hamels plunked him on purpose.
879 — Career Walks
Harper’s 294 walks since joining the Phillies rank the fifth highest in all of baseball.
1,276 — Career Strikeouts
Harper has a relatively violent swing, which is why he hits some of the more majestic home runs of anyone in the majors right now. Sometimes, though, this will lead him to rack up strikeouts when he isn’t scorching hot. His strikeout numbers have dipped during the last few seasons.
Two – MVPs
While 2015 was Harper’s best season in his accomplished career, 2021 was one that proved his 13-year, $330 million worth as a Phillie. Since his first MVP season, when he slashed .330/.460/.649, Harper’s .947 OPS ranks seventh among all major-league hitters.
Seven – All-Star Selections
Harper has only one All-Star selection as a Phillie, as he made the team in 2022 after being snubbed during his 2021 MVP campaign.
78 – Outfield Assists
Early in his career, Harper was a legitimate center fielder. While this has changed, his arm can still help quite a bit in the field — his 13 assists in 2019 paved the way to his inclusion among the Gold Glove finalists for National League right fielders.
$330 Million
When he signed, some fans wondered whether Harper would live up to the hefty contract. While it is still relatively early, Harper has exceeded expectations and cemented himself as one of the league’s best during his four years in Philadelphia
101 – Home Runs As A Phillie
This may seem light as Harper is already four years into his contract with the Phillies, but some missed games here and there and a shortened 2020 season have prevented this total from ballooning.
Three – Seasons With An OPS Over 1.000
Since 2015, only Mike Trout has more.
24 – Multi-Homer Games (Seven With Phillies)
In 2015, Harper hit three home runs in a May game against the Miami Marlins. He has not done that since.
Three – 100+ Run Seasons
Harper’s 118 runs scored during his MVP season with the Nationals in 2015 led the National League. His 101 runs during his MVP season with the Phillies in 2021 were the most since Jimmy Rollins scored 102 times in 2012.
.970 – OPS At Citizens Bank Park
When the Phillies signed Harper, he had already had a nice career at Citizens Bank Park with 14 home runs and a .930 OPS in 50 games. Since signing as a Phillie, he has been otherworldly at home, slashing .281/.406/.572 in 229 games.
Six – Seasons Slugging Over .500
Since 2015, he is one of seven major-league hitters with six such seasons. As a Phillie, Harper has slugged at least .500 every season.
927 — Games Played As A National
Harper missed significant time in 2014 due to a thumb injury and in 2017 due to a knee injury. He never played under 100 games in any season in Washington.
.900 — OPS As A National
Harper had an OPS over 1.000 with the Nationals twice, and had an OPS below .820 three times.
455 — Games Played As A Phillie
Harper has not been unreliable, but he has missed some time due to various injuries. The longest stretch missed came in 2022, when he was forced to sit out two months after suffering a broken thumb that came on a hit-by-pitch against the San Diego Padres.
.940 – Career OPS As A Phillie
That’s 40 points higher than his OPS as a National, and ranks seventh among all major leaguers during that stretch.
.882 – Lowest OPS As A Phillie
At his worst, Harper has still been the Phillies best hitter. After getting off to a slow start in 2019, his first season in Philadelphia, Harper recovered by way of a scorching hot August and September and finished with a .260/.372/.510 slash.
24 – Home Runs Against The Phillies
When the Phillies signed Harper in 2019, it helped them in two ways: addition by addition, and addition by never having to pitch against him again. Harper’s signature moment against the Phillies came in the form of a go-ahead, walk-off home run on Easter in 2017.
1.021 — OPS Against The Nationals
Since leaving Washington, Harper has tortured his former club. He has 25 extra-base hits and 32 RBIs against the Nationals in 56 games.
Three — Walk-Offs As A Phillie
Prior to the Phillies’ 2022 playoff run, Harper’s 2019 walk-off grand slam may have been the best moment for the team since it was last in the playoffs.
1.105 — OPS With Runners In Scoring Position As A Phillie
This is by far the highest OPS of any Phillie with at least 100 plate appearances with runners in scoring position (Harper is at 455). Rob Ducey (1.049) and Bobby Abreu (1.009) are the only other Phillies with an OPS over 1.000 in this situation.
Nine — Years left As A Phillie
Harper has already accomplished quite a bit as a Phillie, winning NL MVP in 2021 and following it up with a stellar 2022 postseason thus far. But he isn’t even a third of the way through his 13-year deal with the Phillies, and he will be 38 when he becomes a free agent again.
Five – Postseason Appearances
Harper was a part of a successful Nationals run in which they made the postseason four times in a six-year span. This year, in his fourth season as a Phillie, Harper is making his first postseason appearance in five years.
Two – Playoff Series Wins
Despite those Nationals teams reaching October several times, they only broke through once — in 2019, when Harper was a Phillie. Because of that, the Phillies’ Wild Card series win over the St. Louis Cardinals was Harper’s first career playoff win. His second came in the NLDS upset of the Braves.
.947 – Career Postseason OPS
Prior to this postseason, Harper’s best series with Washington came in 2014, when he homered three times and had a 1.251 OPS in a four-game loss against the San Francisco Giants.
1.306 — OPS During 2022 Postseason
Harper struggled down the stretch and was a factor in the Phillies near-collapse to end the season. But he has returned to form in these playoffs, hitting six extra-base hits in six games thus far.
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