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Bryce Harper Had a Pretty Elite August
By Luke Arcaini
Published:
The Phillies won 21 games in the month of August, which is the second-most wins in a single month in franchise history.
A lot of it had to do with Bryce Harper.
He’s had arguably the best month of his entire Phillies career over the last 31 days, slashing .333/.496/.573 with 8 doubles, 5 home runs, 32 hits, and 14 RBIs. It’s good for a 1.069 OPS.
The homers, doubles in the gap, and constant slashing of the baseball have all jolted the Phillies team. But nothing has helped this team more than Bryce Harper’s walks. Harper walked 31 time in August, the most he’s walked in a month with the Phillies by a wide margin. His previous record in Philadelphia was 25 back in September of 2021.
Luis Arraez in the cleanup spot behind Harper has served as the ultimate protection. Even with Arraez holding just a .685 OPS since joining the Phillies, he’s been a driving force in Harper’s improved production.
The 2026 season has been phenomenal for the Phillies star, who came into the year with a little extra motivation after a weird offseason. We all remember the “not elite” comment from Dave Dombrowski, and we’d be lying to ourselves to believe that Harper has let that go. He’s looked comfortable as ever over the last few months, but really the entire season.
Harper is 5th in the league in OBP, 13th in slugging percentage, 7th in OPS (4th in the NL), and leads all of Major League Baseball with 97 walks. Harper has not walked 100+ times in a season since 2021. He hasn’t walked 80+ times since 2023. He has completely flipped his discipline at the plate, and it’s gone a long way for himself and the team.
It’s not a secret that the Phillies’ have had one of their best months in franchise history the same month of Harper’s breakout. When Harper (and Kyle Schwarber) go, the Phillies go. That’s been the saying for years. But now with other guys contributing more, like Alec Bohm, Bryson Stott, Justin Crawford, and Edmundo Sosa, Harper’s elite play has jolted this team back into the conversation of a serious pennant-winning threat.
The Phillies have a massive stretch of games ahead. They kicked it off on Monday night with a great win against the Diamondbacks in a stadium that’s haunted the Phils for years. They have two more against the DBacks, then 7 of their next 10 against the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves. What will this division look like in the middle of September? I do not know. The next week and a half will probably decide the fate of the Phillies’ first round opponent in the postseason.
They need Harper to continue this hot streak… obviously. He has now been on-base in 33 straight games, a new career high for the veteran. The Phillies are not thinking about personal accolades… they’re thinking about setting themselves up for postseason success after falling short in four consecutive years.
But Harper’s success somehow seems to be getting swept under the rug. After some asinine comments from the fanbase after Harper’s first 12 games of 2026, he has once again cemented himself as one of the best players in all of baseball. Oh yeah, and he hasn’t missed a single game this season.
Luke Arcaini has been writing about the Phillies for 6 seasons, and is now in his 2nd year covering for Phillies down at Citizens Bank Park for Crossing Broad. Follow him on Twitter @ArcainiLuke