With the Phillies' 2025 season wrapping up after a loss to the Dodgers in the National League Division Series last week, the seventh season of Bryce Harper's tenure in Philadelphia also came to a close.

Though Harper, who turns 33 on Thursday, has been among the top players in MLB for much of his career, this past not season was not one of his best. Phillies president Dave Dombrowski acknowledged this during his end of season press conference, even admitting he's not sure whether Harper will become an "elite" player again.

"In Bryce's case, of course he's still a quality player. He's still an All-Star caliber player. He didn't have an elite season like he has had in the past," Dombrowski said Thursday. "I guess we only find out if he becomes elite [again] or he continues to be good. You look around the league, you try to think Freddie Freeman. He's a really good player, he still is a good player. Is he elite like he was before? Probably not to the same extent so that's nothing negative. Freddie's still a tremendous player. That to me is Bryce."

"Can he rise to the next level again? I don't really know that answer. He's the one that will dictate that more than anything else," Dombrowski continued. "... I don't think he's content with the year that he had. Again, it wasn't a bad year. But when I think of Bryce Harper, you think an elite, you think one of the top 10 players in baseball and I don't think it fit into that category. Again, very good player. I have no idea. I have seen guys at his age—he's not old— that level off. I've seen guys rise again. We'll see what happens."

Phillies manager Rob Thompson said of Harper, “I think he is highly motivated to have the best season of his career next year. That's what the plan's gonna be for him. He played in 132 games and hit 27 home runs, that's pretty good. ... It was down a little bit, but still, over an .840 OPS, that's pretty good."

Over the 2025 season, Harper slashed .261/.357/.487 with 27 home runs, 75 RBIs and a .844 OPS across 132 games. Harper's batting average marked his lowest since '19, his first season in Philly, and his OPS was his worst since '16, when he was still part of the Nationals.

Though Harper is a Gold Glove finalist and was an All-Star last year, Dombrowski questions whether he can return to being an elite player going forward. Either way, the Phillies remain tied to Harper for the long-term, as Harper still has six years remaining on the 13-year, $330 million deal he signed with the team in 2019.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Will Bryce Harper Ever Be Elite Again? Phillies President Had Surprising Answer.

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