There seems to be some tension growing between Phillies‘ star first baseman Bryce Harper and the president of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski. Last October, Dombrowski made a comment that Harper is “not elite” (which is certainly arguable, but also subjective). As the Phillies’ captain and leader, Harper took exception to Dombrowski’s comment.
On Sunday, Bryce Harper was able to speak with the media at spring training, and it appears that four months later, he is still taken aback by what Dombrowski had to say. Harper also gave some very high praise to the Phillies’ league rival, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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What Did Bryce Harper Have to Say About Dombrowski’s ‘Not Elite’ Comments?
Some time has elapsed since October, but Harper made it clear on Sunday that Dave Dombrowski’s comments last year are still with him:
“I don’t get motivated by that kind of stuff,” Harper told reporters on Sunday. “For me, it was kind of wild the whole situation of that happening. I think the big thing for me was, when we first met with this organization, it was, ‘Hey, you know, we’re always going to keep things in-house, and we expect you to do the same.’ And so, you know, when that didn’t happen, kind of took me for a run a little bit.”
“So I don’t know. It’s part of it, I guess. It’s kind of a wild situation, that even happening. Obviously I didn’t have the year I wanted. Obviously I didn’t have the postseason I wanted. My numbers weren’t where they needed to be. I know that. …For Dave to come out and say those things, it’s kind of wild to me, still.”
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In 132 games last season, Harper hit 27 home runs with 75 RBI and an OPS+ of 129. He was a well-above-average hitter, but Harper does have a point; some of his prior seasons were much more productive.
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Bryce Harper ‘Loves’ What the Dodgers Are Doing
In other comments made to reporters, the 2X NL MVP Harper ‘loves’ what the Dodgers are doing:
“I love what the Dodgers do, obviously,” said Harper. “They pay the money, they spend the money, they are a great team. They run their team like a business, and they run it the right way. They understand where they need to put their money into, but also people don’t think of this either, their draft and development is unbelievable. They draft and develop, and then trade those guys for big name guys. ”
Harper then proclaims that it bothers him when people around baseball complain about the Dodgers, because he believes they are doing it the right way.
The Dodgers defeated the Phillies in four games in last year’s NLDS. Bryce Harper is an active member of MLB’s Player Association and will likely play a large part in the upcoming CBA negotiations, but his stance seems to already be pretty clear. Harper does not want a salary cap to be implemented.
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Bryce Harper Sends Clear Message to Dave Dombrowski, ‘Loves’ What Dodgers Are Doing in Recent Comments