Philadelphia Phillies: Bryce Harper is already setting records … in sales

Fanatics says the sale of Philadelphia Phillies merchandise with Bryce Harpe’s name on it set a one-day sales record

Bryce Harper hasn’t set foot on the field for a Philadelphia Phillies game yet, but he’s already providing a return on the team’s investment.

Fanatics, the sports merchandise sale giant, reported Sunday that sales of Harper-related merchandise set a first 24-hour sales record. They said that record applied not just to baseball merchandise, but to all sports.

Harper, who wore No. 34 with the Washington Nationals, will be wearing No. 3 with the Phillies. Front Office Sports reported that Harper’s introductory press conference drove a 5,000 percent increase in the sale of Phillies merchandise compared with the same day one year ago.

More from Call to the Pen

• Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
• Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
• Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
• Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
• 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals

Specific dollar figures were not made available. But David Freireich, a representative of Aramark which manages the Phillies team store, said staff members were working overnight to coordinate production and delivery of jerseys, shirts, and hats to retail locations in and around the city.

Although substantial, Harper’s immediate impact is by no means confined to the merchandise vendors. Phillies senior vice president of ticket operations John Weber said the team sold 100,000 tickets in the 24 hours following word of Harper’s signing. In Florida, officials reported the sales of 10,000 spring training game tickets during the same interval.

Harper, 26, signed a 13-year, $330 million contract last week. Phillies team officials have said they expect him to make his spring debut on Saturday, March 9, when the Philadelphia Phillies are scheduled to play the Toronto Blue Jays. He took part in initial workouts over the weekend.

Following his first workout Harper admitted to a few nerves.

“Any time you come into a new situation… you’re a little nervous,” he said. “It’s going to take me some time.” He said he’d probably need about 45 spring plate appearances to consider himself ready for the start of the regular season.”I don’t want to rush,” he said. “I just want to see pitches.”