DALLAS — It has been very apparent all offseason that the Philadelphia Phillies are looking to shake things up after another season of falling short of winning the World Series. With that in mind, could a batting order change involving Bryce Harper be in the future?
Phillies manager Rob Thomson was asked about the potential of Harper batting first this season and didn’t dismiss the notion, but also added that it might take some convincing for the 32-year-old Harper, who batted third in the Philadelphia lineup in all 145 games in which he stepped into the batter’s box in 2024.
“That’s something that would be a long conversation, I think. I’m not sure Bryce would be willing to go there,” Thomson said.
“I think the more at-bats you get for the best hitters, the better chances you have. That’s the idea behind it. He gets more at-bats to get into the Hall of Fame.”
Kyle Schwarber was the leadoff hitter for the Phillies in each of his 149 game appearances in 2024. The slugger hit 38 home runs and led the National League with 106 walks last season, becoming one of just three players (along with Aaron Judge and Juan Soto to rack up triple-digits in walks). However, there has been talk in the past that, while Schwarber is a force at the top of the order, moving him into more of a traditional spot in the lineup may benefit the Philadelphia offense.
Whether Harper, who belted 30 home runs last season, moving up in the order would benefit the Phillies or not remains to be seen. However, it’s clear that nothing is off the table in terms of trying to push the Phillies back to their first World Series title since 2008.
For now, though, the Phillies are trying to see exactly what their team will look like after an offseason that is filled with trade rumors around third baseman Alec Bohm and chases for pitchers such as Roki Sasaki.
“I’m just waiting to see what the final roster looks like, and we can sort of start breaking it down,” Thomson said.
