GDT 7/31/24 New York Yankees (Cortes) @ Philadelphia Phillies (Sánchez, C)

Let's settle down about Harper. Yes, he has been beyond bad for the past month and it has greatly contributed to what we are watching.

But the guy can go 0 for the next 100 and he'll still be the best player on our team. He has come up clutch over and over and over - unlike pretty much anyone in the history of Philadelphia.

Even Aaron Judge has gone through the horrendous slumps. We've got to live with this one. It's unfortunate that a few of our dangerous hitters' slumps are lining up, making Harper's zero production stand out even more because nobody is picking him up.

One assumes Bryce Harper will be Bryce Harper again and things will go in the right direction. And if not, they won't.

As I said yesterday, they need to find some reason to DL Harper to clear his head. Leave him back in PHL for a week and then send him to Reading and LHV for a rehab assignment to get his stroke and his confidence back.

I actually would like to point out if you might remember in a big moment about a month ago Harper struck out and he smashed his bat and had a real tirade in the dugout. He showed a lot of emotion even it was bit over the top. Lately he barely looks like he cares, if he strikes out in a with runners in scoring position too many times lately and looks almost disinterested. I caught that look too many times recently. Also jogging to 1st base on ground balls etc. There’s something up with him don’t know if it’s family matters, money - he’s not putting up numbers for a paltry 26 million a year (lol), injury or not enjoying playing the game like he did earlier in the season. Almost like a zombie out there

Harper looks like hes moving fine, but this mega slump started after his IL stint with the hamstring problem.

Something is up. I can read his body language whether he’s lacking confidence, or another reason we don’t know about. And I believe this rubs off on other players to an extent. I think it’s money probably he feels like his contract is not rich enough, so he’s not putting a good effort esp. when hitting. We’re seeing why Washington let him walk after a number of years, and of course the following year without Bryce they won the WS. I don’t like what I’m seeing with him as the leader of the Phillies

Shirley, you can't be serious.

I agree something is off with him right now. I think his slump is in his head, same for Turner (who managed to get inside his own head for the first 2/3 of last season). But, to say he's dogging it is ridiculous. And, the Nationals did try to sign him (offered ten years, $300 million).

I know he wanted more years true so the Phillies offered him more. But the Nats didn’t counter so that’s interesting-don’t you think? The one grounder last night 9th or 10th inning that the ground ball richoted off the 1st baseman to the 2nd baseman, what I saw Harper was jogging not running. It could’ve possibly made a difference with Phils winning and obviously they lost

Do we really want Harper running full out with a bad hamstring, possibly resulting in more time on the IL?

Yep that’s a good point. He needed time to get his mojo back, and against good MLB pitching he looks more disheartened, just noting he looks a bit lost at the plate. For e.g. some of the low 90’s fastballs he would’ve crushed at the plate before. He rarely barrels the ball lately

I think Marsh is the only position player who's done a minor league rehab stint this season, and his was only 2 games and 9 PAs. I suspect that there is a general belief that the gap between AAA pitchers and big league pitchers is so large these days that there isn't much benefit to a rehab stint.

I don't believe that. There should still be a benefit for getting back in the groove slowly, with less pressure, and not facing the top MLB pitching. There are good pitchers in AAA. There are AAA pitchers who can get good MLB hitters out. They come up from the minors and do so quite frequently. Look at the Phillies own Tyler Phillips.

The Athletic did a story on the trend to not do minor league rehabs, mentioning Harper.

Technology is part of it now, they think hitting off the machines now is more helpful than facing lousy AAA pitchers.

Harper has not been running hard to first all year for the most part. I think he is just managing a chronic injury unfortunately. Trying not to pull something so he can stay in the lineup. He has had some good swings lately but probably needs a day or two off.

Harper's injury wasn't that serious, and he has come back from every injury with little or no rehab stint (I think in 2022 he did like three games - and then stunk for a month as well). Remember, he has a chronic back injury as well, that isn't going to go away, and who knows how his elbow feels after throwing every day for the first time in two seasons. All just part of being a baseball player. He does not need a fake/illegal trip to the IL, or to be benched, and I don't think it's a character flaw either. Just a slump that's even harder to take right now since it's the whole team (and he's the only one who can carry the team).

I still say it was a huge mistake to take the pitchers who weren't pitching to London (and to pitch Ranger at all there), and it was probably not ideal for Harper to play in the All-Star game after he rushed back from his injury. But that's his prerogative.

Over the first two months the offense was great but the pitching was even better. Now, no Turnbull, Sanchez can't win on the road, no Suarez, Wheeler was injured, Alvarado bumpy. It's a little bit of everything. It is less than ideal that a long West Coast road trip is the place where they need to get right though we've certainly heard "maybe getting away from the pressure at home can help" in the past.

All anecdotal but sometimes it seems like the lead guy going cold can have a domino effect on the lineup as other guys start to press in an effort to pick up the slack. I can remember the Phillies entire lineup going into deep freezes at times when Schmidt went cold (see '83 WS) or when Howard went cold.