February 23, 2023
Hey, baseball is a little more than a month away, so let's get up in arms about some rankings Major League Baseball put out!
As of late, MLB Network has been counting down the top 100 players in the sport. On Wednesday night, they unveiled players No. 11 through No. 20 on the list.
Reigning NLCS MVP Bryce Harper was 17th.
That low for a guy who was just the 2021 MVP, made "the swing of his life," delivered big-time postseason heroics and brought excitement back to Phillies baseball?
I would have to assume injuries played a role in this.
Harper was fifth on this list going into 2022, coming off his second National League MVP Award. He only played in 99 regular season games while dealing with a UCL injury and a broken thumb last year. He did, however, have a wild playoff run. In 17 postseason games, Harper hit .349 with an on-base percentage of .414 and a slugging percentage of .746.
Harper's 1.160 postseason OPS is the second-highest mark in franchise history via Stathead (minimum 30 plate appearances):
| Player | Year | OPS |
| Lenny Dykstra | 1993 | 1.179 |
| Bryce Harper | 2022 | 1.160 |
| Gary Matthews | 1983 | 1.145 |
| Jayson Werth | 2009 | 1.129 |
| Carlos Ruis | 2009 | 1.082 |
Additionally, Harper will miss a few months going into the 2023 season after having Tommy John surgery for that UCL injury. The Phillies are targeting the All-Star Break for his return. That had to be a factor, right?
Still, if you were reeling off the names of the best players in baseball off the top of your head, there's no way you're naming 16 players before Harper.
New Phillies shortstop Trea Turner came in at 11th on the top 100 list. He was ranked 13th going into 2022. That's pretty fair for the franchise's new $300 million man. Turner is coming off his second career All-Star selection, won the NL batting title in 2021 and has led the majors in hits twice.
Before these latest rankings dropped, the Phillies already had five players named to MLB's top 100. The total list of Phillies who made the cut:
94. Rhys Hoskins
79. Aaron Nola
44. Kyle Schwarber
35. Zack Wheeler
29. J.T. Realmuto
17. Bryce Harper
11. Trea Turner
The entire top 100 list (so far) can be viewed here. The top 10 will be announced on MLB Network at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday.
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