There have been two recent stories regarding Bryce Harper offering to move away from first base in order to help out the Philadelphia Phillies. The first was was when he admitted to Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic (via SI.com here) that he would have gone back to the outfield had the Phillies signed Pete Alonso. The second was along the same lines per Todd Zolecki of mlb.com, in that should Philadelphia make a move for a first baseman, Harper would be willing to switch positions because of his desire to win a World Series. While it is noble for a player of Bryce Harper’s caliber to be willing to move from his preferred spot, it’s not exactly an unheard concept for a star to move somewhere else.
In other words, this is not exactly a big deal.
In fact, there are a host of superstars over the last 20 years that have made accommodations for the betterment of the team. That’s what winning players do. Aaron Judge moved to center field in 2024 to make room for Juan Soto. Mookie Betts has changed positions multiple times since coming to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Alex Rodriguez was the best player in the game as a shortstop but moved to third base when the New York Yankees acquired him. Craig Biggio was a catcher, a second baseman and an outfielder during the course of his Hall of Fame career. If you want to go back even further, Robin Yount was an MVP at shortstop for the Milwaukee Brewers. A shoulder injury would necessitate a move to center field but he was Robin Yount, if he wanted to, he could have stayed put. All he did was win another MVP award as an outfielder.
Bryce Harper willing to move positions to help his team should not come as a shock to anyone. A World Series championship is the only thing missing on his Hall of Fame resume. You can bet he would do anything in his power to win not one World Series, but multiple ones. I am sure if the Player’s Association allowed it Harper would take a pay cut to help the team sign an important free agent. That’s why a story about him changing positions is not a big story at all.
Threeunassisted 