Bryce Harper not happy with Phillies’ cleanup spot production
CLEARWATER, Fla. — The cleanup spot has been a problem for the Phillies, and Bryce Harper knows it.
In a 15-minute interview with reporters in Clearwater on Sunday morning, the topic of lineup construction, protection and Harper’s tendency to chase all came up.
Who is hitting behind him, according to Harper, matters when it comes to getting more pitches in the strike zone.
“I think it’s a huge impact in the four spot,” Harper said. “I mean, I think anybody. It doesn’t matter if it’s me or (Kyle Schwarber). Because if Schwarbs is hitting there, same things are going to happen, right? So I think four spot’s a huge impact. I think the numbers in the four spot weren’t very good last year for our whole team. Whoever is in that four spot is going to have a big job to do, depending on who’s hitting three.”
Multiple things can be true. Pitchers have little incentive to pitch in the strike zone if Harper is chasing at the rate he has over the last few years.
Harper’s 35.6% chase rate in 2025 was the highest it has been since 2022. Since recording a chase rate of only 24.8% in his MVP season in 2021, Harper has consistently chased out of the zone over 30% of the time. Now that Nick Castellanos is no longer on the Phillies, Harper, along with new free agent signing Adolis García, are the biggest chasers in the Phillies’ projected Opening Day lineup.
“Chasing pitches or chasing stuff out of the zone, you know, missing pitches over the plate, I talk to guys about it all the time,” Harper said. “You know, I take all those things. Obviously, you try to work on those things and understand what you need to do in the offseason, you know, in spring training, things like that. Hopefully see a couple more pitches in the zone this year, not really sure if that’s going to happen. But hopefully it does and, you know, I can be better.”
It’s also true that the Phillies are not getting enough production out of their cleanup hitters. Castellanos, Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto and Alec Bohm accounted for 92% of the team’s plate appearance from the cleanup spot in 2025. The team’s .720 OPS from No. 4 hitters (99 wRC+) ranked 20th in MLB. 2023 was the last year in which the Phillies got top 10 production out of the cleanup spot. Castellanos, in his All-Star season, accumulated by far the most at-bats in that spot.
Rob Thomson on Sunday mentioned that his preference is for Trea Turner, Schwarber and Harper to all hit in the first inning. The order they hit and who hits directly behind them is still to be determined.
“Bohm was hurt a lot,” Thomson said. “He missed some time, and he would have taken down most of the at-bats there. We’re always looking to put out the best lineup possible and to be able to protect everybody. And sometimes it’s not possible, but we’re just going to keep working at it, fiddling with lineups and try to come up with the best one.”
Thomson mentioned García as a potential option.
“García looks really good,” Thomson said. “If he bounces back, that’s a possible option. J.T. looks really good. You preferably want a right-hander in that spot.”
“He’s a dynamic player, obviously,” Harper said about García. “Gold Glove caliber player in the outfield. Very big bounce back candidate for us. And hopefully it works out. I think he’s gonna have a lot more fun hitting in Philly than he did in the big Texas stadium. But also, you’re not really sure until it happens.”
Things would have looked differently had the Phillies landed Bo Bichette in the offseason. Bohm and Realmuto likely would not have returned, leading to a real shake up in the Phillies lineup. Bichette, a contact-oriented right-handed bat, could have been an option to hit behind Harper.
Harper will likely get to put his theory on lineup protection to the test in a very small sample size at the World Baseball Classic. He’s excited to be part of a loaded Team USA lineup that includes Schwarber, Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh and Bobby Witt Jr.
“I can’t wait,” Harper said. “Representing your country, there’s nothing better. Nothing better. I mean, the feeling of putting USA on your chest and playing for something so much bigger than yourself, representing your whole country, there’s nothing greater. So, having Aaron Judge hit behind me is going to be a lot of fun as well.”
Camp Notes
- Sunday was the mandatory report date for all players to report. Everyone is in camp, including García and Turner, who were spotted in the Phillies clubhouse for the first time on Sunday.
- Thomson was asked if he addressed the trade rumors surrounding Bohm this offseason: “Well the rumors come from the outside world,” Thomson said. “Last year, I did because it’s probably the first time he’s ever been through it. But I texted him a couple times this year this offseason, but not specifically about the trade rumors that are out there.”
- Harper mentioned in his interview that he hasn’t felt wrist pain since coming off the injured list in late June of last year: “The wrist feels great, Harper said. “I haven’t had any pain since Pittsburgh. So after I came back, I haven’t had any wrist pain since. So that’s great. Really happy about that.”