Bryce Harper's Swinging Strike Rate is Trending Disastrously for Phillies
By Parker White
Bryce Harper was suppose to be the headliner and face of the franchise when he signed an incredible 13-year deal with the Philadelphia Phillies this offseason.
After the first series of the season in Philadelphia, it appeared Harper would have every chance to live up to the contract in the early going. But since then, he's been in a terrible slump-- one that includes a ton of strikeouts.
After striking out one time on Thursday, his K total now stands at a whopping 58, which is tied with Joey Gallo for the most in the big leagues. Yeah, not the category you want to be leading.
Bryce Harper might be striking out at an outsized rate, but he's not the only one. @enosarris
— The Athletic MLB (@TheAthleticMLB) May 16, 2019
takes a look at what's behind the league-wide uptick in strikeouts and what players might do to adjust going forward: https://t.co/1cfbI67keE
Most Harper fans want to believe this is just some freak accident and that he'll turn it around. That may be true, but over the last four seasons, his swinging strike rate has been going up, including a 3% increase this year to 27.9 percent.
Bryce Harper swinging strike rate, last 4 seasons:
— Baseball Reference (@baseball_ref) May 16, 2019
17.0%
21.7%
24.9%
27.9%https://t.co/dVzAEbkmsb
Harper has the ability to make more contact and limit his swings and misses, but he just hasn't been doing that for several years now. In fact, it's only gotten worse since he's donned the Phillies uniform. That could be a real problem in the race for the NL East this year and beyond.