Bryce Harper proved to Phillies he's not an elite player or leader at the WBC

If Bryce Harper went into the World Baseball Classic hoping to prove the Phillies front office right about his decline as a player and leader, he's done a great job. No, Harper is not the captain of Team USA – that title goes to Aaron Judge, who faces his own questions – but the 33-year-old ought to know what this means to Americans. He's represented the U.S. twice before as an amateur. He's played in some of the biggest markets on the east coast – including D.C. and Philadelphia. Baseball is our pastime. But has is passed us by?

Rather, a group that was coined the dream team risks losing in pool play. Even if they make it to the quarterfinals after an embarrassing loss to Italy, it'll be thanks to a strange tiebreaker. All of this could've been avoided had Team USA taken its opponent seriously.

Bryce Harper isn't an elite player anymore, and Phillies know it

Harper took a comment from Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski the wrong way with winter. Dombrowski said that Harper didn't have an elite season.

“Of course, he’s still a quality player,” Dombrowski said Oct. 16. “He’s still an All-Star caliber player. He didn’t have an elite season like he has had in the past. And I guess we only find out if he becomes elite or if he continues to be good... So I don’t think he’s content with the year that he had. And, again, it wasn’t a bad year. But when I think of Bryce Harper, you’re thinking elite, right? You’re thinking of one of the top 10 players in baseball, and I don’t think it fit into that category. But, again, a very good player. I have no idea. I’ve seen guys at his age — again he’s not old — that level off. Or I’ve seen guys rise again. We’ll see what happens.”

To Dombrowski's credit, Harper did see a dip in production, especially at the plate. His bWAR was just 3.1, while his batting average was .261. Harper hit just 27 home runs in 2025, and didn't make the NL All-Star team. There's little denying that, by his standards, he didn't play up to par. Even Harper knows that, and Dombrowski's take added a bit more fire heading into a critical 2026 season – or so you would think.

How Bryce Harper, Mark DeRosa and Team USA let down their fans

Instead, Team USA manager Mark DeRosa wrongly assumed they clinched a spot in the quarterfinals prior to the game, and seemingly no one corrected him. His lineup, which featured veteran Paul Goldschmidt against a right-handed pitcher, mirrored an exhibition game. The USA coaching staff admitted that American players celebrated a little too hard in the aftermath of their victory over rival Mexico, and that a few "were dragging" prior to playing Italy.

That's not necessarily Harper's fault, but as one of the veterans on this team, he could've stepped in and put an end to it. He, like anyone on the Americans coaching staff or roster, could've done the math on what exactly they had to accomplish against Italy to qualify for the quarterfinals. Harper also could've come up with a huge hit when asked to pinch-hit as the tying run at the plate. Instead, he struck out.

Harper has just four hits in 15 at-bats in the entire tournament. He has a .494 OPS and just 1 RBI. For a player who claimed to be so excited for the World Baseball Classic prior to joining Team USA, he's suddenly changed his tune, which hasn't helped the perception of the American fanbase.

What Bryce Harper said about the WBC, and how it's changed over time

Harper was thrilled to play in the World Baseball Classic, as he said in February when asked by a the Phillies beat reporters.

“When I was younger, we won,” Harper said. “We were undefeated in both tournaments and had some really good teams and some really good pitching and good groups. If we can, like you said, go out there and do what we need to do, then [we have] the possibility to do the same thing.

"I know a lot of guys are looking forward to it. We’ve got a really good group of guys, really good group of pitchers and position players. Great stuff. Just really looking forward to it.”

You would think that with Harper's experience, and this being his first WBC as a professional, the last thing he'd want to do is downplay its existence to the media, right? Think again.

If Harper and Team USA are already looking forward to the Olympics, an event that takes place in two years that they've already qualified for which MLB players may or may not be a part of (see pending CBA), then that's poor leadership. Harper's getting ahead of himself. For now, the World Baseball Classic is the world's biggest stage for this sport. The Olympic Games could change that, but this answer belongs in 2028, assuming Harper is even on the team by then.

What is clear about this version of Team USA is simple: They lack the it factor. I couldn't imagine saying that about a team filled with star talent, veterans over the age of 30 and former managers on staff, but here we are. If the Americans are lucky enough to advance to the quarterfinals, they ought to keep their first and most important goal at the forefront, and that's winning this tournament, rather than the next one.

More WBC news and analysis: