NEWYou can now listen to Pakinomist articles!
Bryce Harper appeared 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 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 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 Pakinomist
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 soon after, and the two are said to have discussed the matter privately. However, Harper doesn’t seem to be completely over it.
In a recent TikTok post of himself in a batting cage, Harper was seen wearing a shirt that read “NOT ELITE.”
Harper turned 33 a week after the Phillies were eliminated by the Los Angeles Dodgers, who eventually won their second straight World Series. The Phillies have been an October mainstay this decade, but haven’t been able to get over the hump.
Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies looks on 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? Probably not to the same extent. Freddie’s a great player. And that’s Bryce to me. Can he get back to the next level?” Dombrowski said. “I don’t really know that answer.
“I mean, really, he’s the one who’s going to dictate it more than anything, is what it comes down to. I don’t think he’s satisfied with the year he had. And again, it wasn’t a bad year, but when I think about Bryce Harper, you think elite, you think one of the top 10 players in baseball, and I don’t think so. [his 2025 season] fits into that category. But again, very good player.”
Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches 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, landing on the disabled list with a wrist injury. He signed a 13-year, $330 million deal with the Phillies prior to the 2019 season.
