From Mike Schmidt to Chase Utley, the Philadelphia Phillies have produced some of the greatest players in baseball history.
And the franchise is currently led by another generational star.
After signing Bryce Harper to a 13-year, $330 million contract in 2019, the team has won two National League Championships with the slugger slashing.In the five seasons afterward, he has hit 286/.392/.534 and won two All-Star games, two Silver Slugger Awards, and an MVP Award.
Analysts are naturally speculating how Harper will ultimately rank among his contemporaries after experiencing such success. And, according to Zach Rymer of Bleacher Report, his career will go longer than that of Mike Trout, the most skilled player in his time.
“I think it’s fair to say (Mookie) Betts and Harper will have more memorable careers than Trout,” Rymer said.
Trout leads all active positional players in wins above replacement (WAR), an advanced metric that accounts for all aspects of baseball, with an 86.2 mark. Betts is next in line at 70.1 WAR, with Harper in tenth place at 50.7. However, Rymer argued that Trout would undoubtedly exchange his individual success for some of Harper and Betts’ playoff victories, especially given that both players are expected to make additional postseason appearances this season and in the future.
“I would nonetheless venture a guess that Trout would gladly trade some of his WAR for some of the postseason success Betts and Harper have had,” according to Rymer. “And whereas they’re not done in that department, does anyone have the Angels getting Trout to October any time soon?”
Trout has only entered the playoffs once since entering Major League Baseball in 2011, and he was eliminated in the first round. He has won three MVP Awards, nine Silver Slugger Awards, and 11 All-Star Game appearances in his career, yet fans may miss his accomplishments since injuries and losing records have prevented him from achieving success on the biggest platforms.
It’s hard to say how fans might look back on this generation of baseball talent. But Harper has a chance to strengthen his case as its greatest with another deep playoff run this season.
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