Bryce Harper is carving out a path to Cooperstown, with two MVPs and four Silver Sluggers already under his belt. Yet, some fans feel there's something missing: his smile.
Harper's frustration with his team's playoff struggles is understandable. After a World Series loss in 2022 and a Game 7 NLCS defeat the following year, some fans, including his family, wish to see him show more joy on the field.
“I have fun playing,” Harper explained. “It’s not that I don’t have fun.
I just don’t smile as much as everybody wants me to. My mom, dad, and even Kayla, my wife, sometimes get on me about it.
They want to see me having fun. But playing professionally is different from amateur baseball.”
Harper burst onto the MLB scene in 2012 as one of the most anticipated prospects ever. Drafted first overall by the Nationals in 2010, he was dubbed the ‘Chosen One,’ akin to LeBron James in the NBA.
Like James, Harper quickly found personal success, clinching the NL Rookie of the Year in 2012 and earning All-Star nods in his first two seasons. However, team success was elusive.
Despite seven consecutive winning seasons, the Nationals stumbled in the NLDS four times, with three series ending in Game 5 heartbreaks. During this period, Washington celebrated two Cy Young Awards, two Managers of the Year, and Harper's Rookie of the Year and MVP honors.
Ironically, the Nationals won the World Series the year after Harper left for the Phillies. In his debut season in Philly, Harper missed the playoffs, a trend that continued for two more seasons, despite winning another NL MVP.
Since then, the Phillies have reached the postseason four straight times, with 2022 being the standout year. They made a thrilling run from the Wild Card to the World Series, only to fall to the Astros.
The next year, they reached Game 7 of the NLCS but couldn't close it out. The past two seasons have seen them exit in the NLDS after topping the NL East.
Entering his 15th MLB season, Harper is acutely aware that playoff success, or lack thereof, reflects on him. This awareness might influence how he expresses himself on the field.
“I love playing baseball,” Harper stated. “I cherish being part of something bigger than myself.
But everything often circles back to me. It doesn’t bother me, though.
I want a lasting relationship with the Phillies. I envision a future where the Phillies continue to impact baseball long after I’m done.
I want young talents like Aidan Miller, Justin Crawford, and Andrew Painter to thrive. That’s why I committed to this team seven years ago.”