{"id":18365,"date":"2019-04-02T12:37:43","date_gmt":"2019-04-02T16:37:43","guid":{"rendered":"lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/\/?p=18365"},"modified":"2019-04-02T12:39:05","modified_gmt":"2019-04-02T16:39:05","slug":"bryce-harper-strong-start","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2019\/04\/02\/bryce-harper-strong-start\/","title":{"rendered":"Bryce Harper Looking to Build off Strong Start in Philadelphia"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The 2019 Opening Series couldn&#8217;t have started much better than it did for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/h\/harpebr03.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bryce Harper<\/a> and the Philadelphia Phillies. It began by kicking off the campaign with a sweep of the defending NL East champions as well as Harper becoming an instant fan favorite in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n<p>After being held hitless on Opening Day, the Phillies superstar rebounded in the next two games of the series, going 3 for 6 and hitting two mammoth home runs that sent the city of Philadelphia into an uproar.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Bryce is on the board! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Lme77DJjH9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/Lme77DJjH9<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 MLB (@MLB) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MLB\/status\/1112124291489955847?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">March 30, 2019\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h1>Bryce Harper&#8217;s Strong Start<\/h1>\n<h2>Impact on Lineup<\/h2>\n<p>Adding a player of Harper&#8217;s caliber into a lineup that consists of other stars like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mccutan01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Andrew McCutchen<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/segurje01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jean Segura<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hoskirh01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rhys Hoskins<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/r\/realmjt01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">J.T. Realmuto<\/a> makes the Phillies one of the scariest and deepest lineups for opposing pitchers in the National League.\u00a0&#8220;The guys we do have in this lineup, it&#8217;s pretty unbelievable,&#8221; Harper <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbssports.com\/mlb\/news\/mlb-opening-day-2019-phillies-lineup-shows-off-power-depth-with-three-homers-against-the-braves\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">said<\/a>. &#8220;One through nine&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Most importantly, adding the power threat of Harper makes it impractical for opposing pitchers to pitch around the other stars in the Phillies lineup. Therefore, it gives players like Hoskins and Realmuto plenty of opportunities to hit with runners on.\u00a0If they can take advantage as Hoskins did on Opening Day, this Phillies lineup will thrive.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Intentionally walk <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/bryceharper3?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@bryceharper3<\/a> to load the bases for <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/rhyshoskins?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@rhyshoskins<\/a>?<\/p>\n<p>Sure. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/RingTheBell?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#RingTheBell<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/qCQT6Igjhs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/qCQT6Igjhs<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Phillies\/status\/1111384244079591424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">March 28, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Having Fun<\/h2>\n<p>One of the most eye-catching occurrences of the opening series in Philadelphia is that Harper appears to be having fun. Harper is going from the political culture of Washington to the sports-crazy culture of Philadelphia. He seems to be totally engaged in the Philadelphia environment as well as building a connection with the fan base. Of course, this will be important for Bryce after <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonbaseball.com\/2019\/02\/28\/free-agent-bryce-harper-signs-phillies\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">signing<\/a>\u00a0a 13-year, $330 million contract, which will put an immense amount of pressure on him from an unforgiving fan base.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The gang greets Bryce Harper.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/OpeningDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#OpeningDay<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Pv20ME4Xue\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/Pv20ME4Xue<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 MLB (@MLB) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MLB\/status\/1111348005767204869?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">March 28, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;They are such good fans, they understand the game.&#8221; Harper <a href=\"https:\/\/newsnite.org\/philadelphia\/bryce-harper-phillies-sweep-braves-open-2019-season-40260844\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">said.<\/a>&#8220;They understand sports and their city and things like that.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Whether it was the \u201cM-V-P!\u201d chants, the curtain call after his first homer, or the ostentatious Phillie Phanatic cleats, Harper was an immediate hit in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n<h2>Time Will Tell<\/h2>\n<p>Everything so far seems to be going nearly perfectly for the Phillies in the early season. However, the biggest question that has yet to be answered is how the fan base of Philadelphia will react to Harper when he hits a slump. Bryce has had a tremendous series to start off 2019, but can this continue? He is historically known as one of the best hitters of all time in March and April. As a matter of fact, he\u00a0ranks fourth in MLB history in March\/April with an OPS of 1.065, trailing only\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/r\/ruthba01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Babe Ruth<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/w\/willite01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ted Williams<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bondsba01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Barry Bonds<\/a>. The former number one pick will look to avoid his annual slide from May until August and attempt to keep fans happy.<\/p>\n<p>Everything might be alright in Philly at the moment, but a dip in performance is inevitable for Harper at some point. When it happens, will the city of Philadelphia show Harper brotherly love?<\/p>\n<p>Main photo<br \/>\n<a id=\"srjN5Cd5TRZ-cM0zgijTQw\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1139824470\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'srjN5Cd5TRZ-cM0zgijTQw',sig:'3_3isfIMOboGxyddl1rnvTNZGgv7myNeebX7-vjWQhQ=',w:'594px',h:'393px',items:'1139824470',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 2019 Opening Series couldn&#8217;t have started much better than it did for Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies. It began by kicking off the campaign with a sweep of the defending NL East champions as well as Harper becoming an instant fan favorite in Philadelphia. After being held hitless on Opening Day, the Phillies [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2924,"featured_media":18424,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23,2],"tags":[610,315,469,703,1130,268,1654],"class_list":["post-18365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-phillies","category-featured","tag-andrew-mccutchen","tag-bryce-harper","tag-j-t-realmuto","tag-jean-segura","tag-opening-day","tag-philadelphia-phillies","tag-rhys-hoskins"],"modified_by":"Evan Thompson","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18365","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2924"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18365"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18365\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18424"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18365"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}