Phillies star Bryce Harper is quietly firing back at his doubters.
In a video posted to his TikTok, Harper is seen taking swings. From a distance, it appears to be nothing but the first baseman gearing up for the upcoming season, but a closer look reveals something more.
On his long sleeved, black shirt, it reads, “NOT ELITE,” in bold white letters.
This appears to be Harper responding to Phillies general manager Dave Dombrowski’s remarks after the club was eliminated from the postseason by the Dodgers in the NL Division Series.
“He’s still a quality player. He’s still an All-Star-caliber player,” Dombrowski said, via ESPN News Services. “He didn’t have an elite season like he’s had in the past. I guess we only find out if he becomes elite or he continues to be good.”
Harper hit .261 with an .844 OPS. He had 27 home runs and 75 RBIs for a 129 OPS+, his lowest OPS+ since 2019, his first season with the Phillies.
On Oct. 24, Jon Heyman of The New York Post wrote that Harper was “pissed off” after learning that Dombrowski was publicly questioning his “elite” status.
Here’s an excerpt of Heyman’s story, via The New York Post:
“Harper was said by people connected to the Phillies to be ‘pissed off’ over the comments, which were shockingly candid by today’s usually sanitized standards. Perhaps not insignificantly, Dombrowski’s words probably cast further doubt on Philly’s willingness to grant Harper’s requested extension to his original, then-record $330M, 13-year deal.”