Phillies’ owner Middleton: “Maybe I underpaid” Bryce Harper

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — In 2019, Bryce Harper signed a 13 year, $330 million contract with the Phillies. Most wouldn’t consider that an underpay. 

But if you ask Phillies owner John Middleton, he thinks otherwise. 

Following the Phillies’ 4-3 victory over the Padres to earn a sport in the World Series for the first time in 13 years, Middleton said he might’ve short changed Harper. 

“I’m thinking that maybe I underpaid him,” Middleton told CBS Philadelphia’s Don Bell during live postgame coverage. “I told him that tonight. I told that to Scott Boras a while ago.”

Whether Middleton overpaid Harper or not, there’s no doubt the Phillies are back in the World Series without him. At the time, it was thought to be a franchise-altering signing, and he’s been worth every penny. 

Harper, who NLCS MVP, smacked the go-ahead home run against the Padres in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the Phillies the lead in dramatic fashion.   

That homer was just the latest moment of many that Harper has had during this incredible postseason run. 

The Phillies trailed the whole game in Game 4 of the NLCS until Harper came up in the bottom of the fifth. After J.T. Realmuto walked, Harper smacked a double to center field to give the Phillies a 7-6 lead. 

Once he got to second base, Harper said “This is my [expletive] house” to the raucous crowd at Citizens Bank Park. 

In the postseason, Harper has hit five home runs, recorded 11 RBIs and smacked six doubles. His batting splits are: .419/.444/.907 with an OPS at 1.351. 

Harper’s OPS has him in some elite company. 

But, earlier this year, it didn’t look good for the reigning National League Most Valuable Player. 

Harper broke his thumb in June against the Padres and missed two months of the season. He rehabbed, worked his way back and was activated at the end of August. 

Heading into the postseason, Harper was in a slump, still trying to get his timing down after the injury. He hit .205 in September and .158 in October in the regular season before the playoffs.

But, once the postseason started, it was a different story. 

Harper has played at an MVP level throughout the playoffs, and we’ll see if his dominance continues in the World Series