Phils could move Harper, Schwarber in lineup to spark offense

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- This winter, Bryce Harper showed the world how he makes ribs, cheesesteaks, bagels, coffee, oatmeal cream pies and date, chocolate and peanut butter bark. A video on Nature¡¯s Gatorade got more than 3.5 million views on TikTok.

It made him a surprising social media star.

¡°Yeah, that was fun,¡± Harper said Saturday afternoon at BayCare Ballpark. ¡°Just some of my favorite things that I make. It's just fun. I mean, I'm into health, obviously, and wellness, and things that I put into my food ¡­ and a lot of my kids snacks and treats and stuff, we make homemade. We don't really go to grocery stores and do that. We try to make everything as homemade as we can as a family, and [I] put that out there a little bit.

¡°It¡¯s not really too many baseball fans. There's a lot of different fans as well. So that's been good, catching eyes of not just baseball fans, but other people.¡±

Harper might drum up a few more recipes this season. It depends. For now, it¡¯s baseball.

He arrived to camp on Saturday with the Phillies¡¯ first full-squad workout on Monday. It was the first offseason since Harper signed with the Phils in 2019 that they did not sign a player to a multiyear contract.

¡°We obviously lost some guys and kind of rounded off the edges, I would say,¡± Harper said. ¡°I thought we got some pretty good upside guys. If they pitch to their ability or play to their ability, they're going to be really good for us. We have a really good opportunity. Obviously, we have the guys in this clubhouse to do that. If we just do our job and play the game the right way and play to our ability, we'll be where we need to be by season's end.¡±

Harper sees what is happening around him. He saw the Dodgers make significant improvements to a World Series championship roster. He watched the Mets beat them in the National League Division Series, then sign Juan Soto.

Harper knows teammates like Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto and Ranger Su¨¢rez will be free agents following the season.

There is urgency.

¡°We had really two really good opportunities to win a World Series,¡± Harper said. ¡°I would say three, because [2022] as well, we had a great chance to win that year, too. I think everybody should be hungry in this room. Everybody should be ready to go. And it's not the greatest thing to just flush. Right? You got to remember what it feels like and understand what that feels like. Flush the things you can, but understand that when it's in you and you want to go out there and play, remember that feeling a little bit to get you to that next level.¡±

Harper is beginning the seventh year of a 13-year, $330 million contract. His agent Scott Boras has mentioned Harper¡¯s desire for a contract extension. Phillies managing partner John Middleton said this week that he wants Harper to retire a Phillie, but nothing is imminent.

¡°I'm here to play baseball and try to win a World Series,¡± Harper said. ¡°If that gets done this year or any other year, we want to get that done.¡±

Winning a World Series could push that along. The Phillies are trying to improve their chances. Manager Rob Thomson said he will tinker with the lineup to spark more offense. Notably, he is inclined to drop Schwarber from the leadoff spot.

That could result in Schwarber hitting cleanup when Harper bats second.

¡°I haven't been talked to yet,¡± Harper said. ¡°Obviously, I'm a three-hole hitter -- or I have been. But whenever they tell me to hit two or four, I've done that in the past. I want to win, so I don't care what that takes.¡±

If you¡¯re wondering, Thomson already said Harper won¡¯t lead off.

¡°I'll take the extra at-bats, but I don't want to hit leadoff,¡± Harper said.

Harper batted .285 with 30 homers, 87 RBIs and an .898 OPS last season, which ranked 10th in baseball.

He thought it could¡¯ve been better.

¡°I'd like my OPS to be higher,¡± Harper said. ¡°If my OPS and my on-base percentage is high, I think the Phillies are going to be in a good spot. If I can keep those elevated, then we'll be good.

¡°It¡¯s just playing your game. If each guy just does their job, then we'll be OK. When you try to elevate your game too much, that's when you get in trouble. If we understand our DNA as a team or as individuals, I think we¡¯ll be right where we need to be.¡±