Bryce Harper Off to Career-Worst Start in Philly by a Wide Margin

It's no secret that Bryce Harper has gotten off to an abysmal start to the first quarter of the 2019 season. The $330-million man was expected to transform the Phillies into a World Series contender, but instead he's been downright awful through his first 40 games with the team.

In fact, Harper's start to the season is actually the worst of his career. While he's still elite at drawing walks, posting a league-high 31 bases on balls, he's also the MLB's strikeout leader with 54.

Harper currently has a .222/.367/.438 line, with 7 home runs and 25 RBI. The .222 batting average is the worst of his career through 40 games, even worse than the .229 he posted last year in the same span. The 54 strikeouts are far and away the most he's recorded in the first 40 games of a season as well.

He is currently on pace to have more than 200 strikeouts this season, far more than his career high of 169. His current pace would see him strikeout 218 times this season, which would rank him in the Top 5 in terms of all-time single-season strikeout leaders.

It's not like Harper has switched leagues, or even switched divisions. He elected to stay in the NL East with the Philadelphia Phillies and is just hours away from Washington D.C., his previous home.

His contact rate has taken a serious dip, from 71.1% in 2018 to 66.9% in 2019, and his strikeout rate has ballooned up to a 30.5% rate. Those numbers aren't encouraging, but he has 120 games to right the ship.

With any ballplayer, it's important to remember that there are going to be peaks and valleys. Harper's honeymoon is over with the Phillies, and its time to get into the grit and grind of the long season. The one good thing about Harper's situation is that he has no shortage of good hitters around him, so he's got all of the tools he needs to get out of this slump.

Despite having an awful game on Monday, during which he went 0-4 with 3 strikeouts, Harper had a game-saving catch with two outs and the bases loaded. While it doesn't make up for the bad night at the plate, it's important to note that he's still a valuable defensive asset, even when his bat isn't up to standard. If Bryce can get over this road bump, he can play a vital role in what should be a tightly contested NL East playoff race.

Don't give up on Harper in the first year of a 13-year contract Phillies fans. While frustration is completely understandable, and probably warranted, his track record suggests he's going to come around and start raking. Maybe some warmer weather can heat up Harper and get him out of this cold streak.