Despite Hitting .243, Phillies Name Bryce Harper New Lead Off Hitter

I tried to tell you that Bryce Harper was overrated. I really did. You didn’t listen to me. That’s fine.

As of June 21st, 2019, Bryce Harper is hitting .243. On the season, Harper is a 0.3 WAR player. Doesn’t sound like a guy worth $330 million now does it? The Phillies are trying a new experiment to get Harper going. Introducing Philadelphia’s new lead off man… Bryce Harper.

You see, the goal for a lead off man is to hit for a high average. Harper does not do that. In fact, he hasn’t done that 3 of the past 4 years. Once again, Harper is hitting under .250. That’s the lead off guy you want, Philly? I will give Harper credit for one thing. He does draw his fair share of walks with an on base percentage of .357 this year. Then again, a lot of those walks come because of reputation, not because he’s actually a good baseball player.

If I were to put my Gabe Kapler hat on, I don’t understand why Scott Kingery isn’t getting this chance. Kingery is on fire hitting .338 in 133 at–bats this year. Give him a shot. Even Jean Segura makes more sense who is a guy that has always hit for a high average. Even Roman Quinn makes more sense as a speed threat at the top. Giving Harper this job is just a desperation act for an overrated and overpaid baseball player.

If one thing is certain, the Phillies miss Andrew McCutchen a lot more than I thought they would. McCutchen tore his ACL on June 4th. Since that time, the Phillies are 7-8. McCutchen was great at driving up pitch counts, getting on base, and rarely striking out. Here’s what I do know. Harper does not provide the latter. He is punching out 29.2 percent of the time. Good luck with this experiment, Philly. I’m sure it won’t work out.

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL!