Bryce Harper’s move to first base has looked rough enough to draw plenty of criticism, but the newest Statcast numbers make the case even clearer: the Phillies may have been costing themselves more than they realized with Harper at the position.
Since the MLB All-Star break, Philadelphia has been working with a new defensive setup to fit its biggest acquisition, Luis Arraez. Arraez has stayed at second base, Bryson Stott has shifted from second to third, Alec Bohm has moved from third to first, and Harper has been pushed back to right field.
That last piece has raised the biggest concerns. Harper is already dealing with knee soreness, so sending him to the outfield adds another layer of risk the Phillies don’t really need.
What the numbers now show is that Bohm has become a clear defensive upgrade at first. For a player with limited experience there, he has handled the job better than expected.
His +1 Receiving Outs Above Average ranks 25th among the 151 players who have made at least one play at first base this season. With the minimum raised to 50 plays, he climbs to No.
Harper, by contrast, is sitting at the very bottom. His -8 Receiving OAA is the worst in the group, with Rafael Devers of the San Francisco Giants next closest at -5.
Harper has still shown he can handle some of the routine work around the bag. He owns a 0.7 on scoops, which is tied for eighth, a 0.4 on bounces that is tied for 19th, and a 0.5 on low throws, good for a tie for 13th.
The problem is everything else. On-target throws have been a major issue, and Harper’s -3.5 there is the worst figure among first basemen. No one else has even crossed the -3.0 mark, with Andrew Vaughn of the Milwaukee Brewers next worst at -2.6.
The high-throw numbers are even more lopsided. Harper’s -4.0 is miles ahead of the field in the wrong direction, with Casey Schmitt of the Giants next at -1.0. On wide throws, Harper sits at -1.9, while Spencer Horwitz of the Pittsburgh Pirates is worse at -2.2.
Bohm has not been perfect, but his profile is far steadier. His only negative showing comes on on-target throws, where he is at -0.7. Every other category is at 0.0 or better, and his 6-foot-4 build appears to be helping him at first compared with Harper’s 6-foot-1 frame.
The first-base receiving data only goes back to 2021, and Harper’s -8 is the worst single-season mark in that span. He was at -2 in 2024 and finished at 0 in 2025, so this drop-off in 2026 is something the Phillies will have to watch closely.
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