Phillies president gives verdict on Bryce Harper, Alec Bohm, and others' performances

The Philadelphia Phillies lead the National League despite Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and other sluggers having a slow start to the season. The Phillies' rotation, led by Zack Wheeler and leadoff hitter Kyle Schwarber, has been impressive.

Dave Dombrowski, the Phillies' baseball operations president, evaluated his players' performance in an interview episode 152 of "The Show," hosted by veteran MLB insiders Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman, on Wednesday.

"I think Schwarber has been the one guy that has been hot from beginning to now," Dombrowski said [from 15:49].

"The numbers he's put up have been fantastic. We have a lot of guys that are doing fine. Turner's been doing a lot better recently. Harper, despite saying, okay, he's not really Bryce as you anticipated."

Despite leading the NL, the 68-year-old pointed out that the team hasn't gelled together. Therefore, he needs some players to improve their performances.

"Bohm doing a little bit better, Stott doing a little bit better, JT doing better, Castellanos, Marsh, Kepler, so a lot of those guys need to kind of pick it up a little bit for us," Dombrovski added.

The Phillies executive doesn't believe there's a glaring hole in their lineup but noted that one crucial factor is absent from the team: hitting doubles. He pointed out that the Phillies' sluggers had been exceptional at finding gaps in the field, but they haven't this season.

---

Dave Dombrowski is confident in Bryce Harper

Despite Kyle Schwarber and Zack Wheeler being the star performers for the Phillies, Bryce Harper is the leader. Although he has won an MVP title with the Phillies, a World Series ring has eluded Harper. Moreover, his 2025 season hasn't met expectations, but he has improved off late.

In his last game, against the Braves, Harper left after Spence Strider's HBP on his surgically repaired elbow. Despite the X-ray results showing no damage to the bones, Dombrovski disclosed in the interview that Harper won't be available for the next game.

"Harps is just one of the best players still in baseball," Dombrovski said (17:57). "He's in a spot where he's been productive. He's getting on base; he's driving in runs; he's walking. He's picked it up recently too. He has picked up his average and is driving in more runs."

Dombrowski noted that they had been playing in cold climates and expressed confidence that players' performance, particularly Harper's, will improve in the summer.

"I mean, he's not having a bad year by any means, but like you said, a traditional Bryce Harper year? No, maybe not that. But it wouldn't be a surprise if at the end of the year we're looking up there and there's that .280 to .300, 30 home runs, 100 RBIs," Dombrovski added.

Bryce Harper's batting average for the season is .267. He has hit eight homers, driven in 33 RBIs and stolen eight bases. With a third of the season over, whether Harper lives up to Dombrowski's expectations remains to be seen.