When the Phillies president, Dave Dombrowski, questioned whether Bryce Harper still belonged among MLB’s elite, it threw shockwaves through the team. The timing was just after the team’s playoff exit, and that enhanced the scrutiny. Bryce Harper is the face of the team and a high-paid star of the league, and he suddenly found his reputation being debated, and that too by his team’s management.

The president did not stop at the team’s end-of-season media interaction. Dombrowski said, “I guess we only find out if Harper becomes elite or if he continues to be good.” It was a statement that, while factual, came across as dismissive toward a star who has provided MVO season to MLB, postseason runs, and an elite enhancement to the Phillies’ popularity. The omission of the star’s wrist injury ke

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