Harper hitless in return but ‘excited to be back’
LOS ANGELES — Bryce Harper‘s historically rapid return from Tommy John surgery brought with it questions surrounding timing, particularly his ability to catch up to major league pitching after spending so much of these past five months focused mostly on rehabilitation.
A different type of timing presented an obstacle.
Harper used his designated timeout during a two-strike count in his first at-bat against the Los Angeles Dodgers then again on a two-strike count in his second at-bat then again before even seeing the first pitch in his third. Harper, famously deliberate with his routine between and before pitches, wasn’t merely playing in his first game of the season on Tuesday night. He was playing in his first game with a pitch clock, one of several new regulations introduced for the 2023 season. It’s going to take some getting used to.
“Your whole life, your whole career, you’ve always slowed the game down,” Harper said after the Philadelphia Phillies‘ 13-1 loss from Dodger Stadium. “I took a long time from the on-deck circle to the batter’s box. And also in between pitches, I’d take a while. So, definitely an adjustment period. I just got to figure that out — figure out what I want to do, how I want to do it, use my timeouts when I need to and understand the game’s going to be at a quicker pace for the foreseeable future.”
Harper, who batted third while serving as the designated hitter, went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in what amounted to the second straight night in which the Dodgers scored 13 runs against the Phillies’ pitchers.
It was an unceremonious return but also a particularly challenging one.
Harper’s first assignment came in a left-on-left matchup against Julio Urias, who boasted the lowest ERA in the National League last season. Urias attacked Harper largely with breaking balls that tailed away from him, most of which Harper either fouled off or swung through. Harper whiffed on a 1-2 curveball low and outside in his first at-bat then grounded out on a check-swing tapper in his second and swung through a 1-2 cutter well outside in his third. His fourth at-bat, to lead off the ninth inning of a 12-run deficit against right-hander Phil Bickford, saw him take three swings, the last of which was a foul tip on an inside-corner cutter.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson believes Harper’s bat speed was sound and that he was “on a lot of pitches,” even if results didn’t materialize.
“I was excited — excited to get back, excited to be back,” Harper said. “But not the game we wanted to have, right? Just got to keep going, keep plugging along. I feel like it’s pitch selection. And it’ll even things out; it’ll get better. Just got to give it some time.”
It’s an understandable assessment. It was only 160 days ago, on Nov. 23, that Harper underwent surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. The initial prognosis had him returning after the All-Star break, but Harper set his sights on this series — from Dodger Stadium, the place where he made his major league debut 11 years ago — as his target. It fueled him throughout the course of his rehab, gave him something to chase. He beat the initial timeline by more than two months and wound up returning from Tommy John surgery faster than any baseball player on record, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information.
“Obviously, he’s not throwing a baseball, but he’s swinging a baseball bat at full speed,” Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long said. “It’s a remarkable feat, and I guess it’s another chapter in Bryce Harper’s life.”
The process began in early March, with two sets of 10 dry swings with a much lighter fungo bat from the Phillies’ spring training complex in Clearwater, Florida. Over the course of roughly six weeks, Harper and Long progressed through tee work, soft toss, traditional batting practice, swings off a high-velocity pitching machine and live at-bats. Harper received the equivalent of 50 at-bats against either rehabbing pitchers or minor league pitchers over these past handful of weeks, opting for controlled environments instead of venturing out on a traditional rehab assignment.
Harper received final clearance from Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who performed his surgery, in L.A. on Monday. Thomson had decided to give Harper that night off regardless and was hesitant to start him with such a tough matchup in Urias, a perennial Cy Young contender, the following day. But Harper, he said, wanted it.
“He wants to play,” Thomson added. “He’s itching to play.”
Harper was noticeably aggressive in his return, swinging at the first pitch each of the four times he came to bat. He will return to the lineup for Wednesday’s series finale, a day game, and is expected to play regularly given that the Phillies begin this month with four days off in a stretch of three weeks. Eventually, once his throwing progression reaches a certain point, he’ll transition to first base. But that development is still months away. For now, the Phillies simply need his bat in the lineup.
“I want the results to be better,” Harper said of his first game back. “But granted, I’m excited to be back. Going through six months of grinding, hard work, and to be able to get back today, I was extremely excited.”
Harper spent the vast majority of the 2022 season nursing a tear in his right UCL and serving as the Phillies’ DH, batting .296/.368/.522 in 90 games there during the regular season then hitting four go-ahead home runs in an epic postseason run that culminated in a World Series appearance. That year, though, Harper ranked 11th among 376 hitters in slowest tempo between pitches with the bases empty, as measured by Baseball Savant. In other words, he took a long time in the batter’s box.
Now, in a new wrinkle, he’ll have a pitch clock to work against.
“It’s going to be an adjustment for me,” Harper said. “But it is what it is at this point.”
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Max Olson
FRISCO, Texas — A dynamic new quarterback, a new offensive system and two projected first-round picks up front have Utah coach Kyle Whittingham feeling enthusiastic about the Utes’ chances of bouncing back from a disastrous debut season in the Big 12.
Utah was voted No. 1 in the Big 12 preseason poll last year after joining from the Pac-12, but a brutal run of injuries and inconsistency resulted in a seven-game conference losing streak and a 5-7 finish — the program’s first losing season since 2013.
After weeks of contemplation about his future and what was best for the program, Whittingham, the third-longest-tenured head coach in FBS, decided in December to return for his 21st season with the Utes.
“The bottom line and the final analysis was I couldn’t step away on that note,” Whittingham told ESPN at Big 12 media days Wednesday. “It was too frustrating, too disappointing. As much as college football has changed with all the other factors that might pull you away, that was the overriding reason: That’s not us, that’s not who we are. It just left a bad taste in my mouth. I did not want to miss the opportunity to try to get that taste out.”
“The bottom line and the final analysis was I couldn’t step away on that note. It was too frustrating, too disappointing. … That’s not us. That’s not who we are. It just left a bad taste in my mouth. I did not want to miss the opportunity to try to get that taste out.”
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham on going 5-7 in 2024
Whittingham and Utes defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley conducted a national search for a new offensive coordinator and quickly zeroed in on New Mexico‘s Jason Beck. Then they managed to land Devon Dampier, Beck’s first-team All-Mountain West quarterback, via the transfer portal.
After finishing 11th nationally in total offense with 3,934 yards and 31 total touchdowns and putting up the fourth-most rushing yards (1,166) among all FBS starters, Dampier followed his coach to Salt Lake City and immediately asserted himself as a difference-maker for a program that had to start four different QBs in 2024.
“He’s a terrific athlete,” Whittingham said. “He’s a guy that, if spring is any indication, he’s an exciting player, and we can’t wait to watch him this season. … He’s got that ‘it’ factor. He’s a leader. Needless to say, very excited to see what he does for us.”
They’ve surrounded Dampier with 21 more newcomers via the transfer portal and will protect him with two returning starters at tackle in Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu, who are projected first-round NFL draft picks by ESPN’s Matt Miller.
“We feel they’re the best tandem in the country,” Whittingham said. “The offensive line in general, I feel, it’s the best since I’ve been there. And that’s quite a statement. We’ve had some really good offensive lines. We’ve got two first-rounders and three seniors inside that have played a lot of good football for us. That better be a strength of ours, and that’s what we’re counting on.”
Whittingham has previously said he did not want to coach past the age of 65. Now that he’s 65, he acknowledges that he might’ve arrived at a different decision about his future had the Utes ended up winning the Big 12 in 2024. He is reenergized about getting them back into contention, but he’s not ready to say whether this season might be his last.
“The best answer I can give you is, right now, I’m excited and passionate about going to work every single day,” Whittingham said. “As soon as that changes, I’ll know it’s time. I’m just counting on knowing when the time is right. I can’t tell you exactly what the circumstances will be other than losing the fire in the belly.”
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Jesse Rogers
The automated ball-strike system is coming to the All-Star Game next week in Atlanta.
MLB officials added the feature to the annual exhibition game knowing it could be a precursor to becoming a permanent part of the major leagues as soon as next year.
The same process used this past spring training will be used for the Midsummer Classic: Each team will be given two challenges with the ability to retain them if successful. Only a pitcher, catcher or hitter can ask for a challenge and it has to happen almost immediately after the pitch. The player will tap his hat or helmet indicating to the umpire he wants to challenge while any help from the dugout or other players on the field is not allowed.
MLB officials say 72% of fans who were polled during spring training said the impact of ABS on their experience at the game was a “positive” one. Sixty-nine percent said they’d like it part of the game moving forward. Just 10% expressed negativity toward it.
MLB’s competition committee will meet later this summer to determine if ABS will be instituted next season after the league tested the robotic system throughout the minor leagues and spring training in recent years. Like almost any rule change, there were mixed reviews from players about using ABS but nearly all parties agree on one point: They prefer a challenge system as opposed to the technology calling every pitch.
As was the case in spring training, once a review is initiated, an animated replay of the pitch will be shown on the scoreboard and the home plate umpire will either uphold the call or overturn it. ABS uses Hawk-Eye system technology which tracks the pitch trajectory and location in relation to the strike zone, providing an instant assessment which can be relayed to the home plate umpire.
The All-Star Game will be played at Truist Park in Atlanta on Tuesday.
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