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Bryce Harper’s Play At First Base A Great Takeaway From An Awful Week

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Author and Dylan MacKinnon
Bryce Harper, Brandon Marsh, and Bryson Stott celebrate after a win

All is not well in Phillies’ land right now. Just when we thought they turned the corner, they have a rough week bs the Brewers and Guardians. They dropped 4 of 6 games, bookended by wins on Tuesday and Sunday. The top of the lineup is back to struggling. They are making dumb choices on the basepaths again. And the fielding still leaves a lot to be desired. But there is one positive takeaway from the past week. Bryce Harper’s play at first base.

He only played two games there. But he made sure to make enough wow plays in those games to make up for it taking so long for him to finally try it out. First, on Friday night, he made this catch while diving into the net.

He also made a diving stop in Sunday’s game. But more than that, he made almost all of the simple plays. Harper will tell you there was a play where he was not in the right position for a cutoff in the right field. I didn’t notice that in-game, but will take Harper’s word for it. But more often than not, Harper was where he had to be. He made seemingly every play that came his way. To the point that fans were semi-joking that there was a Gold Glove at first base in Harper’s future.

We knew he had the athleticism to play the position, and even make some extraordinary plays. What we did not know was if he would have the right instincts to play there. Plays develop fast in the infield. You need to constantly know where to be on every kind of play. And so far, so good. He got tested in every way you could want him to be and made the right play every time.

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There will probably be a mistake at some point. That is to be expected. But this weekend showed us he is more than capable of manning the position full-time. Which opens up so many more options for the Phillies. Not only does it improve their defense at first base, but in left field. Now you can take Schwarber, the league’s worst outfielder, out of the field, and make him a full-time DH. For now, Jake Cave is manning left in his place, but ideally, they have better plans than that. Whether that is adding someone at the deadline or giving Christian Pache or Johan Rojas a chance to play there every day.

It also means that there can be a long-term future for Harper there. He may return to the Outfield next season. But he is here until he is 38. And one day he may not be as capable of playing the Outfield as he is now, elbow injury aside. And once that time comes, we can now be comfortable with the idea of playing him at first for the rest of his time in Philly.

6 Left-Field Options For The Phillies At The Trade Deadline

The trade deadline is just a little under a month away. This season it falls on August 1st. Meaning we are only a couple of weeks away from when the Hot Stove really heats up and we start seeing the trades fly. And given where the Phillies are, they should certainly be involved in those talks.  

But what is it they need most? We did talk about the specific needs last week. At that point, you would have thought a 5th starter would be a pretty big one. But Christopher Sanchez continues to excel in that role. As long as he is pitching like this, there is no real reason to make a move there. Especially when they still hope one of the young guys could contribute at some point too.  

They could also use another relief pitcher. It’s not a pressing need. The main guys in the bullpen are killing it for them right now. But it never hurts to add an extra arm to pitch in those middle innings. 

What their biggest need seems to be is another power bat. Outside of Schwarber and Nick Castellanos, they are not getting much power from anyone else. Bryce Harper is in the longest power drought of his life. You hope he snaps out of it. But that is not a sure thing. So another bat that can get the ball out of the park would certainly be of use. And with the plan being for Bryce Harper to eventually play 1st base, and for Kyle Schwarber to move to DH, that power bat likely needs to be a left fielder. 

Who could they target there? Are there names no one is talking about who would be the perfect fit?

Let’s look at some of the options the Phillies could have at the Trade Deadline to acquire a left fielder.  

  • Cody Bellinger- Cubs

    After winning MVP in 2019 Bellinger kind of went off of a cliff. He got worse each season. Finally, last year was enough for the Dodgers to move on. He signed a 1-year deal with the Cubs. While he has not gotten back to MVP form, he is having a solid season in Chicago. Cody is hitting .298, with 8 HRs and 10 steals. 

    Now there are a few issues in terms of his fit with the Phillies. For one he is a lefty, and they more so need a Righty bat. Also, he has not played left field since his rookie season. Since then he has mostly played either center field or first base. Could he move over to left field? Probably. But it is not a sure thing. 

    The Cubs are now 40-46. 8 games out of the NL Central, and 7 games out of the 3rd Wild Card. They are most likely going to be sellers at the deadline. And Cody Bellinger, in the middle of a resurgent year, on an expiring contract, seems like a prime candidate to be traded. 

  • Adam Duvall- Red Sox

    Adam Duvall is another player who struggled last season but is having a bit of a bounce-back year. Last year with the Braves his slash line was .213/.276/.401/.677. Like Bellinger, he signed a one-year prove-it deal this offseason, and it is paying off a bit. 

    He is by no means lighting up the stat sheet. But he is hitting .252/.325/.505/.830, with 5 HRs. Still not the power bat he was in 2021 when he hit 38 bombs between the Braves and Marlins, but he is a solid hitter nonetheless. He would not be a sexy addition, but he would give them a solid right-handed bat who can give you Gold Glove level defense in left. If they can’t land a bigger name, he would be a decent consolation prize. And unlike many of the guys currently on the team, he is a smart baserunner. 

    The question is will the Red Sox be sellers? They are currently in 5th place in the AL East. But not because they are awful. They are actually hovering around .500. It’s just the Al East is so stacked. They are just 3 games out of the final Wild Card spot though. So they may want to hold onto their guys to see if they can make a push. But if they decide to sell, Duvall on an expiring contract is likely to be one of the first to go.  

  • Lane Thomas- Nationals

    Guys on expiring deals are not the only guys who get traded though. As we saw last year with Brandon Marsh occasionally teams will trade away guys who haven’t even gotten through Arbitration yet. And there is some chatter that Lane Thomas could be moved at the deadline. 

    And if so he would kind of be a perfect fit for the Phillies’ needs. He can play Left Field, even if he has mostly played Right this season. He is a right-handed bat. And he has some power. Lane Thomas is hitting .305/.351/.507/.859, with 14 home runs, and 7 steals. It’s a breakout year after he previously topped out at 17 HRs and hit .241 last season. 

    The catch is that given the season he is having and that he doesn’t reach free agency until 2026, he may cost a bit. It wouldn’t be Andrew Painter. But like they had to give up Mickey Moniak, who is now looking fantastic, for Marsh, they may have to give up a high-potential player to land Thomas. But it would give them 2.5 years of control of a player with a rising star.  

  • Joc Pederson- Giants

    There is one significant hang-up when it comes to any Joc Pederson deal. His injury. He missed most of the season with a right hand contusion, and only recently came back. So there is always a concern that the injury could linger and impact his play. But before the injury, he was looking great. Pederson hit 8 home runs in the month of April. Since his return, he is 1 for 13, but that is way too small a sample size to judge him. 

    One complication is that like Bellinger, he is a lefty. What they really need is some righty pop. That doesn’t mean you don’t trade for Joc, but you would prefer a righty. He does have some experience in left field. But he has mostly DHed in recent years. Is he an upgrade over Schwarber in the outfield? Probably. But that doesn’t mean he is a good fielder. That said, he did get a chance to play Left recently and made some impressive plays. 

    Will the Giants move him? It depends, as it stands they are just .5 back from the Phillies for the final wild-card spot. But they are heading in the wrong direction. If they continue to lose and continue to fall behind, they could easily become sellers.  

  • Michael Conforto- Giants

    The long-time Mets Outfielder made the jump to the Giants this offseason. And after struggling last season, he seems to have gotten back on track a little bit. In 74 games he has 12 home runs and 42 RBIs. Nothing mind-blowing, but solid production.  

    Like his teammate Pederson, he bats from the left side. So not the ideal fit. He also has not played Left Field that much in recent seasons, though he does have some experience there. Like Joc Pederson, his availability depends on how the Giants play the next few weeks. Conforto has an opt out after this year. And given he is playing well, will probably exercise it. Meaning it would do the Giants well to move him if they decide they can’t compete this season.  

  • Randal Grichuk- Rockies

    Grichuk has usually been a reliable source of power in his career. Since 2016 he has failed to hit 20 HRs just twice. Last year he hit 19. But injuries have curtailed his power this season though. In 52 games he has hit 4 HRs. But that could be turning around. Two of those bombs have been hit in the last 5 games. And besides the low power numbers, he is having a decent season with the Rockies. He is hitting .289 and has 16 doubles.  

    If you believe his power is coming back around, he could make for a decent fit. He is a right-handed bat, who can play every spot in the Outfield. And while he is not the best fielder, he is better out there than Schwarber. 

    The Rockies will definitely be sellers at the Deadline. They have the worst record in the National League at 33-55. There is no hope for them to get back into contention. Randal Grichuk’s contract is expiring. So, he should be a guy moved. And it shouldn’t take much to get him. Like Duvall, he is a fine backup option if they can’t land a better name.  

 

Dylan MacKinnon is The Digital Content Coordinator For 97.5 The Fanatic. he has been an Eagles, Flyers, Sixers, and Flyers fan his whole life. He graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelors in Journalism. Dylan has worked at the Fanatic since 2016, starting as an Intern, moving to the Street team, and eventually was hired as an Associate Producer before settling into his current role in the Digital Department. You may hear him referred to on-air as "The D-Train."

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