Bryce Harper only ranked 17th on MLB's top 100 list

New Phillie Trea Turner was also ranked 11th, giving Philly seven players on the list overall.

Hey, baseball is a little more than a month away, so let's get up in arms about some rankings Major League Baseball put out!

As of late, MLB Network has been counting down the top 100 players in the sport. On Wednesday night, they unveiled players No. 11 through No. 20 on the list.

Reigning NLCS MVP Bryce Harper was 17th. 

That low for a guy who was just the 2021 MVP, made "the swing of his life," delivered big-time postseason heroics and brought excitement back to Phillies baseball? 

I would have to assume injuries played a role in this. 

Harper was fifth on this list going into 2022, coming off his second National League MVP Award. He only played in 99 regular season games while dealing with a UCL injury and a broken thumb last year. He did, however, have a wild playoff run. In 17 postseason games, Harper hit .349 with an on-base percentage of .414 and a slugging percentage of .746. 

Harper's 1.160 postseason OPS is the second-highest mark in franchise history via Stathead (minimum 30 plate appearances):

Player  Year OPS
 Lenny Dykstra1993 1.179 
Bryce Harper 2022 1.160 
Gary Matthews 1983 1.145 
Jayson Werth 2009 1.129 
Carlos Ruis 2009 1.082 

Additionally, Harper will miss a few months going into the 2023 season after having Tommy John surgery for that UCL injury. The Phillies are targeting the All-Star Break for his return. That had to be a factor, right?

Still, if you were reeling off the names of the best players in baseball off the top of your head, there's no way you're naming 16 players before Harper.

New Phillies shortstop Trea Turner came in at 11th on the top 100 list. He was ranked 13th going into 2022. That's pretty fair for the franchise's new $300 million man. Turner is coming off his second career All-Star selection, won the NL batting title in 2021 and has led the majors in hits twice. 

Before these latest rankings dropped, the Phillies already had five players named to MLB's top 100. The total list of Phillies who made the cut:

94. Rhys Hoskins

79. Aaron Nola

44. Kyle Schwarber 

35. Zack Wheeler

29. J.T. Realmuto

17. Bryce Harper

11. Trea Turner 

The entire top 100 list (so far) can be viewed here. The top 10 will be announced on MLB Network at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday. 


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