I am a fan of the Phillies signing of Bryce Harper. Sure, there are people out there who think Phillies owner John Middleton is crazy for giving Harper a 13 year, $330 million dollar deal. I am not one of those people.
I have no problem with the Phillies giving Harper this kind of deal. After all, it is not my money so what do I care. I get why some question the length of the contract and rightfully so but in the end, we are not the ones who will be stuck with Harper at 35.
I am all about living in the present and right now I see Harper absolutely raking at Citizens Bank Park. The park is a left handed power hitter’s dream, especially hitters like Harper who can crush it to right field and can drive the ball to the opposite field.
Harper has put up tremendous numbers in his career at the Bank. He is a career .268/.365/.564 hitter with 14 home runs in 50 career games in Philadelphia. He is the ballpark’s all-time leader in slugging percentage (min .200 plate appearances)
Those numbers are insane. It is not a stretch to think that Harper will average 40 home runs and drive in 110 runs plus over the course of the next five seasons in a Phillies uniform.
Harper’s ADP in 2018 was 20. I still expect him to stay at around that number but don’t surprised if he goes earlier, especially in 12 team leagues.
The Phillies are on the cusp of being a title contender. If their starting pitching holds up their end of the bargain, this signing could put them over the top.
The signing is great for the Phillies and great for fantasy baseball players as well.