Bryce Harper To Debut At 1st Base Vs. Milwaukee Brewers

Bryce Harper has had a noteworthy season, and not just what he has been able to contribute on the field. Yes, he is still his superstar self, coming back from Tommy John surgery faster than any being in the known universe to help the Phillies on their quest for a 2^nd straight playoff berth. He had a clutch hit this weekend against the San Diego Padres to help take 3 of 4 from the fumbling friars. But there has been a goal since before Harper even returned: to have him play the field again. Last year, he firmly entrenched himself in the DH spot when his elbow injury developed, and he has remained in that spot ever since.

That, though, has led to a blockage in the lineup, forcing Kyle Schwarber to play a below average left field. Now, though, it appears that Harper is finally ready to put a glove on his left hand and exit the dugout, not to create offense, but prevent it.

Since Rhys Hoskins went down with a torn ACL in Spring Training, there has been speculation that Harper could eventually play 1^st base. It’s a less throwing intensive position, which makes it an easier transition back from Tommy John surgery, and there’s a clear need at the position. The 2-time MVP still had to go through significant rehab in order to be prepared to take the field in any capacity, though, and that has led us into mid-July. According to the Phillies, the time has finally come where Harper has cleared enough hurdles to head out to the infield and try his hand.

It’s a move that will allow Schwarber to return to his natural spot of DH (see: not fielding), but there are additional questions that come with a change to the infield. Mainly, can Harper even play 1^st? The easy answer is “maybe”. Personally, I would respond “probably”. Harper initially came up as a catcher, clearly the toughest defensive position on the diamond. That doesn’t make 1^st base easy, but it means that Harper has the athleticism to be able to play the infield. It doesn’t mean he will be good, but it means he has the tools to be. Harper has been working consistently on learning the ins and outs of the position, and his work ethic also points towards him figuring it out.

Yes, he is not necessarily a plus defender in the outfield, but who on this team is a plus defender at 1^st? The best the Phillies have is serviceable, and it’s not a farfetched idea to say that Harper is able to also be serviceable. But that opens a secondary question: what do the Phillies do with Darick Hall? Hall returned from injury just before the All-Star break, but there are still questions about his ability to be an everyday player at the Major League level.

If Harper is your 1^st baseman, does Hall simply become a left-handed bat off the bench? Is the more versatile Kody Clemens a better option to have on the roster? There are plenty of questions this move causes, but when the dust settles, the Philadelphia Phillies will be better off with Harper at 1^st. There just may be some growing pains along the way.

When Buster Olney says anything Baseball related, it is worth listening to what he says. And luckily for Phillies fans, he has a lot of good things to say about the Phillies right now. He went on ESPN the other day with Philly's own Kevin Negandhi and sung their praises. Olney believes the Phillies are the team with the best chances to compete with the Braves. Especially considering we have not even seen Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, or Kyle Schwabrer play their best ball yet.

But he also alluded that they could be dangerous players at the deadline. And to get some insight into what he meant by that, The Anthony Gargano Show had him on today. Jamie Lynch and Andrew Salciunas filled in for Anthony and asked Buster Olney to expand on his thoughts about why he is so high on the Phillies, and also what he thought they would do at the deadline.

So will the Phillies be in on big names like Juan Soto, Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt, or Shohei Ohtani? Is that just wishful thinking? Is there a more realistic option he can see them making? Buster Olney got into that and more.

Before they asked Buster Olney about the big names, they had to touch on a realistic option first. And the first name that came to mind for him, was Cody Bellinger.

Olney mentioned Ohtani, so they had to ask. Will the Phillies be in on Ohtani? Dan Plesac reported that they may be in the mix on MLB Network, so they wanted to see what Buster thought.

The other hot names are Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt. The Cardinals are bad for the first time in a long time. Leading to a ton of rumors that one of their superstars could be moved. But is there any smoke to that fire? Buster Olney poured a little bit of cold water on Phillies fans' dreams on landing one of those big bats.

The last name they asked about was Juan Soto. He took a flight back to Philadelphia for this weekend's Phillies-Padres series with the Phillies' other All-Stars. His name has also been floated for the Phillies. Buster Olney did question whether he is actually on the market though.

They also talked to him about how the Phillies match up with the Braves, the future of Aaron Nola, and more. You can listen to everything Buster Olney had to say below: