Is Bryce Harper’s slump this season worse than it looks? What the numbers say
Bryce Harper is slumping this season, bringing the question of whether it is the start of the decline of a great career, or is it nothing more than a slow start. Since the early 2010s, Harper has been a decorated major league hitter with several accolades to his name. This includes two MVPs and eight All-Star selections.
Through the early stretch of the 2025 season, Harper's production is raising eyebrows. Harper is batting just .229, the lowest mark among all qualified hitters on the Phillies roster. And if the season ended today, that number wouldn’t just be an outlier — it would be a career-low by a full 20 points, surpassing his previous worst of .249 in 2018.
A deeper dive into his .229/.349/.403 slashline should give more insights. His on-base percentage (.349) is still solid, boosted by his 27 walks in just 38 games. But the power has noticeably dipped (only six home runs). His slugging percentage (.403) and OPS (.752) would also be career lows over a full season.
That’s a 155-point drop in OPS from his career average.
However, things aren't alarming at the moment. Harper has been struck out 36 times out of 144 at-bats (25% K rate). This strikeout rate is high but not outrageous.
Bryce Harper frustrated but has manager's backing
This is not the first time Bryce Harper's struggles have been brought to notice. He had something worse going even in the 2016 season, hitting only .249. But he changed his fortunes around by hitting .319 the following season.
Harper is also frustrated with himself, as he reflected on his early-season struggles.
“I’m frustrated on a bigger level,” Harper told The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Scott Lauber. “Obviously I’ve been through ruts in my career and gone through ups and downs worse than what I’m on right now. But just frustrated for the fans, frustrated for my team.
“Obviously I’m not where I want to be. I’ve gone through stretches before like this in my career. It’s going to happen. I’ll come back out of it and be totally fine.”
However, manager Rob Thomson is completely confident in the two-time MVP.
“There’s not a whole lot of slug there right now,” Thomson said. “But it’s going to be there. He’s really the last guy I worry about. I don’t think he’s that far off.”
Can Bryce Harper get back to being an MVP-level threat? History says yes —but his 2025 MLB season is making fans sweat.