Bold claim: Harper’s season hinges on taking charge at the plate and driving his at-bats, no matter who bats behind him. And this is exactly where the drama starts to unfold in 2026. The Opening Day lineup behind Harper remains unsettled — it could be Kyle Schwarber if Harper hits second, or Alec Bohm if Harper slides into the third spot — but one thing is certain: Harper must run his own at-bats with intention, regardless of the lineup around him.
“Just try to stay as calm as I can,” Harper said after Saturday’s Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays. “I’ve leaned into that all camp—seeing pitches in the zone, swinging at strikes, and taking walks when I can. I think I’ve done a good job through the first four games. I’m trying to slow things down.”
A quick refresher: last season, Harper swung at pitches in the zone only 43 percent of the time, the lowest mark among 532 players with at least 200 pitches faced. He also posted a 35.6 percent chase rate, his highest since 2022 (35.7 percent).
This spring, the emphasis has shifted toward chasing fewer pitches out of the zone. “I’ve done it before,” Harper noted.
Even with a very small sample size, his early results in Grapefruit League play have been encouraging: he went 3-for-8 (.375) with two doubles, a home run, four RBIs, three walks, and three strikeouts across four games before joining Team USA. In those games, he saw pitches in the zone 45.7 percent of the time, about 3.6 points above his career average, yet his chase rate stayed down at 23.5 percent.
“I’ve just got to keep doing it,” Harper said.
On the mechanics front, Harper is tweaking a few swing elements. He’s quieting his load by reducing bat tilt. Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long described an effort to drive Harper’s pelvis toward the ground rather than tilting upward during the swing. Long explained, “As soon as you move up, you’re literally in and out of the zone. We’ve emphasized that the past few days, and he’s squared up a few balls that would have been outs before.”
So far, four of the six balls Harper has put in play with the Phillies have left the bat at speeds of 94.8 mph or higher. One more, a Saturday homer, exited at 93.8 mph.
Long stressed the core message: protect yourself at the plate by swinging at good pitches. “Your protection is the at-bat itself—going up there with intent, especially with runners in scoring position. A 40 percent chase rate won’t cut it. If you keep living by chasing, your numbers will drop. It’s mostly about Harper choosing to make himself out less often.” Long recalled mentoring Harper in Washington in 2018, when Harper was a 25 percent chaser who still walked gracefully—leading the majors with 130 walks. “The potential is in there. Let’s go.”
If you’re following the Phillies this season, the overarching question isn’t just who bats behind Harper, but whether Harper can sustain the calm, disciplined approach that could unlock a breakout year. Do you think Harper can maintain this adjustment through the heat of the regular season, and how might the behind-the-scenes coaching changes influence his approach at the plate?
