Harper Reported Will Sign With Phils $400 Mill

[Screamin Eagle]

I said long ago that top players would not want to play for Kapler as he is a stats killer and top players want 2 things, money and stats.
It should be noted that Boras has played the Phillies.
Harper is over hyped thanks to Boras and the media. He is not Ted Williams but you would think he is based on the what the media has thrown at the fans.
Signing any player to a 10 year contract is nuts without an out clause.
I'd be good with 5 years at most but again he is not Ted Williams and no player is worth that kind of money.
Eventually these ridiculous contracts will kill sports. It's already pricing out the common fan. Just the parking fees are enough to keep me away and I am a fomer season ticket holder and big baseball fan.

 

[Retroram52]

Go ahead and sign your big money, ya flippin' wuss!!

 

[jvett77]

I said long ago that top players would not want to play for Kapler as he is a stats killer and top players want 2 things, money and stats.
It should be noted that Boras has played the Phillies.
Harper is over hyped thanks to Boras and the media. He is not Ted Williams but you would think he is based on the what the media has thrown at the fans.
Signing any player to a 10 year contract is nuts without an out clause.
I'd be good with 5 years at most but again he is not Ted Williams and no player is worth that kind of money.
Eventually these ridiculous contracts will kill sports. It's already pricing out the common fan. Just the parking fees are enough to keep me away and I am a fomer season ticket holder and big baseball fan.

How is Kapler a stats killer. No bunting, get on base, hit away. Just the opposite.

Over-hyped?

2018: 550 AB, 103 R, 137 H, 34 2b, 34HR, 100 RBI, 13 SB, 130 BB, 169K, .249/.393/.496

Tell me these splits are not meaningful:
2018 Splits
Runners On .303/.470
Scoring Position .290/.458
Bases Loaded .389/.400
Lead Off Inning .240/.359
Scoring Posn, 2 out .373/.568

 

[northeastphillyguy]

Harper will be a west coast lifer. Phillies feel that they are out of the race.

 

[Orlando Eagles]

If this is the way it’s going to go I can kind of already feel relief of sorts settling in.

Honestly (and I don’t mean this in a purely emotional response kind of way) I kind of hope the Giants or whomever snags him at this point.

 

[Indrid Cold]

That park will expose Bryce as not having the power of a roided up Bonds.
But, Harper is a fag, so he will fit in perfectly.

SO GAYYYYYY....

 

[Indrid Cold]

How is Kapler a stats killer. No bunting, get on base, hit away. Just the opposite.

Over-hyped?

2018: 550 AB, 103 R, 137 H, 34 2b, 34HR, 100 RBI, 13 SB, 130 BB, 169K, .249/.393/.496

Tell me these splits are not meaningful:
2018 Splits
Runners On .303/.470
Scoring Position .290/.458
Bases Loaded .389/.400
Lead Off Inning .240/.359
Scoring Posn, 2 out .373/.568

Here's another great one...
Late & Close .160/.360/.373

Phil Plantier also had a season in which he hit in the .240s with 34 HR and 100 RBI (1993)...his situational stats were also pretty good, including slugging .618 with RISP and .626 with men on (which means he hit extraordinarily well with a man on first only, not too unusual for a lefty).
This had zero predictive power as Phil's career was close to being over at the end of that season.

 

[jvett77]

Here's another great one...
Late & Close .160/.360/.373

Phil Plantier also had a season in which he hit in the .240s with 34 HR and 100 RBI (1993)...his situational stats were also pretty good, including slugging .618 with RISP and .626 with men on (which means he hit extraordinarily well with a man on first only, not too unusual for a lefty).
This had zero predictive power as Phil's career was close to being over at the end of that season.

Flash in the pan guy Phil Plantier (life .240./.338) had a great 1993. Mentioning this clown in a Bryce Harper discussion is strange. Year after year, BH has put up solid offensive stats. Can’t find the obscure Mlb late and close stats. Link?

 

[jvett77]

If the Phils don’t sign Harper they will have missed the best opportunity to compete with the current immortals and may not get another similar opportunity for 10 years. Sure we can add pitching but think about the powerful Dodgers, Red Sox, Cubs, and Yankees whom we would enjoy paying to see the Phils abuse in CBP.

 

[PolarVortex]

I said long ago that top players would not want to play for Kapler as he is a stats killer and top players want 2 things, money and stats.
It should be noted that Boras has played the Phillies.
Harper is over hyped thanks to Boras and the media. He is not Ted Williams but you would think he is based on the what the media has thrown at the fans.
Signing any player to a 10 year contract is nuts without an out clause.
I'd be good with 5 years at most but again he is not Ted Williams and no player is worth that kind of money.
Eventually these ridiculous contracts will kill sports. It's already pricing out the common fan. Just the parking fees are enough to keep me away and I am a fomer season ticket holder and big baseball fan.

Managers don't last more than 2-3 seasons. Harper won't base a 10-year decision on who the manager will be for >30% of his contract length.

 

[PolarVortex]

meh

 

[PolarVortex]

Here's another great one...
Late & Close .160/.360/.373

Phil Plantier also had a season in which he hit in the .240s with 34 HR and 100 RBI (1993)...his situational stats were also pretty good, including slugging .618 with RISP and .626 with men on (which means he hit extraordinarily well with a man on first only, not too unusual for a lefty).
This had zero predictive power as Phil's career was close to being over at the end of that season.

Phil Plantier was not in the same hemisphere as Bryce Harper. Seriously, dude, get a clue. There is no comparison here, no matter how remotely it may be.

 

[Indrid Cold]

Splits are from baseball-reference.com, click on the splits link in his profile.
Bringing up Plantier is a reach, but so is saying Harper has good situational splits in a season where he hit .249...he is still a force at that level with his power and patience, but the guy is looking for like $400million and two of his last three seasons have been less than overwhelming. Even his injury shortened 2017 was nowhere near the level of his epic 2015, but he wants to get paid like he is at a 2015 level most years...

 

[northeastphillyguy]

Splits are from baseball-reference.com, click on the splits link in his profile.
Bringing up Plantier is a reach, but so is saying Harper has good situational splits in a season where he hit .249...he is still a force at that level with his power and patience, but the guy is looking for like $400million and two of his last three seasons have been less than overwhelming. Even his injury shortened 2017 was nowhere near the level of his epic 2015, but he wants to get paid like he is at a 2015 level most years...

He will get the big contract based on his on base percentage, his power and RBI stats. Also he provides good situational hitting. It is what it is!

 

[SU Nittany Tide]

The more I think about it, the more I like giving him that three year opt out. Other teams have been begging him to sign a short term deal and the Phillies might be staring at one right in front of their faces.

 

[northeastphillyguy]

Just heard that the Phillies may still have a chance to get Harper. They offered him a 5 year opt out. He wants 3 year
opt out. This could be a determining factor on where he signs! Give him the 3 years please. I don't see a problem with that.

 

[Indrid Cold]

He will get the big contract based on his on base percentage, his power and RBI stats. Also he provides good situational hitting. It is what it is!

If you actually looked at his situational hitting numbers for his career, they are not remarkable at all.... .276/.427/.472 with RISP, OBP is nice but walking with runners on is not generally what you are looking for in your 3/4 hitters. Like many lefties, he does well with a guy on first only. 2 outs RISP, late and close, high leverage, are all disappointing.
Look, Harper is still a productive hitter at .249, but we're talking about a guy looking for a record breaking contract here. His 2015 was a historically great 10 WAR season, but, guess what, Trout has had three with higher WAR while Harper's second best is 5.2 (rookie year!). Again, Bryce's WAA is negative for 3 out of 7 seasons!
If Bryce gets that monster 10 year deal, it will be because he has been a media star since he was in high school and had one truly great year out of seven. He should help anybody, especially if he starts playing defense again, but he sure hasn't built a case for signing the richest contract in history.

Btw, his career line in SF is .164/.305/.284.

 

[mannyz]

Just heard that the Phillies may still have a chance to get Harper. They offered him a 5 year opt out. He wants 3 year
opt out. This could be a determining factor on where he signs! Give him the 3 years please. I don't see a problem with that.

F him. With the type of money the Phils are offering, maybe he should have more loyalty, and should be a mutual opt out. If he does not perform to the tune of $ 35mil/year, then the Phils would not be on the hook for all that money.

 

[Indrid Cold]

He will get the big contract based on his on base percentage, his power and RBI stats. Also he provides good situational hitting. It is what it is!

Bryce's RBI peaks are 99 and 100...Joe Carter he is not. He would have had an impressive count in 2017 if not for the slip on 1B.

 

[SU Nittany Tide]

If you actually looked at his situational hitting numbers for his career, they are not remarkable at all.... .276/.427/.472 with RISP, OBP is nice but walking with runners on is not generally what you are looking for in your 3/4 hitters. Like many lefties, he does well with a guy on first only. 2 outs RISP, late and close, high leverage, are all disappointing.
Look, Harper is still a productive hitter at .249, but we're talking about a guy looking for a record breaking contract here. His 2015 was a historically great 10 WAR season, but, guess what, Trout has had three with higher WAR while Harper's second best is 5.2 (rookie year!). Again, Bryce's WAA is negative for 3 out of 7 seasons!
If Bryce gets that monster 10 year deal, it will be because he has been a media star since he was in high school and had one truly great year out of seven. He should help anybody, especially if he starts playing defense again, but he sure hasn't built a case for signing the richest contract in history.

Btw, his career line in SF is .164/.305/.284.

I've never been a big believer in situational hitting. I think a lot of it just comes down to chance.