Bryce Harper may wear Phillies colors, but he knows a sharp pitching coach when he sees one.
On a recent podcast appearance with Mookie Betts, Harper made it clear he had a strong reaction when Jeremy Hefner left the Mets and landed with the Braves. The line was blunt, funny, and maybe a little painful for anyone in Queens:
“Once Jeremy Hefner left (the Mets) and went to the Braves… I was like oh no….crap”
-Bryce Harper on the Braves hiring Jeremy Hefner. pic.twitter.com/T2IVrbiVOe
- MattOlsonsBurner (@ChoppinBravos) July 25, 2026
That kind of reaction makes sense given what Atlanta’s pitching group has done this season. The Braves have spent the last couple of months patching things together after a hot start, and Hefner has been getting everything he can out of a staff that was never built this way. Martin Perez, Bryce Elder, Reynaldo Lopez, and Grant Holmes have all been forced into far more starts than expected.
Atlanta came into Spring Training counting on Spencer Schwellenbach, Hurston Waldrep, and Spencer Strider to carry a lot of the load. Instead, that trio has offered no value because of injuries and inconsistency.
Even with that mess, the Braves are still six games ahead of the Phillies in the NL East. That cushion has come with several pitchers turning in unexpected career years, and it’s hard to separate that from Hefner’s impact.
The numbers back it up, too. Atlanta’s staff is third in the National League with a 3.67 ERA, a major jump from last season, when the Braves finished 11th and were allowing nearly a run more per game.
Hefner arrived in Atlanta with a reputation as one of the game’s brightest young pitching minds, and so far, that label looks earned.
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