A few years ago, it seemed like this upcoming free agent class was going to be a monster one. Now death, injuries and decline have put a serious dent into that allure. And Bryce Harper, who perhaps falls into his own category, too.
Harper, approaching his 26th birthday, has sandwiched two useful but far-from-spectacular seasons (2016 and 2018) around a productive but injury-curtailed 2017, and 2015 remains the sole season in which he reached five FanGraphs WAR. Subsequent analysis attached a caveat to that campaign too, revealing that Harper’s results had far exceeded the stats that his batted balls seemed to dictate. For years, fans and media members speculated that Harper would be bound for the Bronx, but midway through his walk year, the Yankees have four outfielders with higher WAR than his.
Source: Ben Lindbergh, The Ringer