Phillies: Lifting Bryce Harper after HBP the prudent move

Bryce Harper vs Adam Eaton

Harper struggled with the strikeout most of the year but he came up roses where it really mattered. His 219 runs produced out-did Eaton’s 152. The Philadelphia Phillies finished 2019 with a team .327 OBP to the Nats’ .352. I’d submit that Harper’s 219 looks even more impressive for seeing and cashing in a lot less opportunity.

For run creation, Harper comes out above the guy who replaced him in the Nats’ right field, too. His 115 total wasn’t close to his best but it was still twenty higher than Eaton. Harper created 7.0 runs per game to Eaton’s 5.9, and he used fewer outs to do it, too: 3.8 to Eaton’s 4.5. Harper also delivered 72 of his 149 hits for extra bases overall for a .483 extra-base hit percentage, while Eaton delivered 47 ou158 for a .297 extra-base hit percentage.

That’s without accounting for Harper’s 35 home runs to Eaton’s fifteen. Want to know how each man did in the highest leverage moments, the ones that most mean runs on the scoreboard, chances to take leads, and even win with these guys at the plate?

Bryce Harper had 127 high-leverage plate appearances in 2019, delivered a 1.037 OPS, and had 35 hits—21 of which went for extra bases. Adam Eaton had 87 high-leverage plate appearances last year, delivered a .638 OPS, and had 17 hits only five of which went for extra bases. And if you were looking for the guy who’d deliver with runners on second or better, you really did want Harper far more than Eaton: Harper’s OPS hitting in that situation last year was 1.214 to Eaton’s .559.

Without once denigrating the Nats’ stupefying October run from the wild card game to the World Series trophy, and without ignoring that Eaton got better as the postseason got deeper (which is exactly what he did from series to Series), I think it’s very fair to say that Harper would have made the Nats’ pitching on the season and in the postseason breathe that much easier whether in right field or at the plate.