1 month agoPhiladelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper enters his 14th MLB season having just logged his most action since 2019. The slugger played in 145 games with 550 at-bats, swatting 30 home runs with a .285/.373/.525 slash line from the heart of Philadelphia's order. However, some said he needed more rest following a hamstring injury suffered near the All-Star break. He'd already been managing a wrist issue since May, as well as indicating his right elbow was disrupting him (though not tied to the ligament repaired with Tommy John surgery after the 2022 season). Harper was hitting .303 with 20 home runs and a .981 OPS over 76 games before the hammy sidelined him for two weeks. His last 69 games saw him only hit 10 homers with a .266 average/.807 OPS, with a barrel rate sliding to 8.6 percent from 12 percent. Harper did not become "bad" but lost that power-stroke timing, looking late on swings more often than we're used to. Statcast gave him a 31.3 percent Oppo percent, which had never been above 30 percent before and was under 26 percent in both 2022 and '23. If you believe the wrist/elbow woes are minor blips then his early aggregate ADP and RotoBaller rank around picks 18-20 are inviting. Accordingly, you'll note initial January ATC projections give him 40 fewer plate appearances than Steamer, but the predicted .881 OPS remains enticing. Those who believe the wear and tear on Harper won't ease up after he began his career so young will look elsewhere in the second round.--Nick Mariano - RotoBaller