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Will Bryce Harper be ready for the 2023 MLB season? Where should he be drafted in your fantasy baseball drafts? Our Rephael Negnewitzky takes a look.
After a disappointing fallout in the World Series, the Philadelphia Phillies will face a difficult challenge heading into 2023. Bryce Harper will miss the first half of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow and is expected to begin swinging a bat around March.
I'm sure you guys are wondering what he's been up to in his recovery. Today I've got an update for y'all, along with some tips on where he should be drafted.
Harper is indefinitely out for the first half but assuming everything runs smoothly, he should be productive in the second half. Let's take a look at what we should expect.
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Injury Update
Harper missed 52 games due to a 97 mph fastball from Blake Snell which broke his thumb back in June. The Phils managed to reach the big title despite the absence of their big star for a chunk of the year. The Stros wiped out the Phils in six games and just weeks later, the news broke that Harper would need a procedure to repair the torn ulna collateral ligament in his right elbow.
According to GM Dave Dombrowski, Harper has been healing well and is expected to start swinging around March time. They are contemplating whether to play him in the outfield, but they expect Harper to begin taking reps in the outfield later in the season. Once Harper returns, of course, it's gonna take a couple of weeks to get his mind right and find an effective rhythm.
That's pretty promising from a fantasy baseball standpoint.
Where to Draft Harper
At the rate Harper is going in his recovery, things are looking bright for his fantasy value. If he stays on track, he should be ready post-All-Star break. Although now is when things get a little tricky. Should we bank on a tentative timeline? Or should we play it safe and draft him later on?
I'm most definitely not concerned that he'll struggle to get his numbers up. Despite Harper's injury barrage in 2022, he was quite the jock when healthy.
| G | AB | R | HR | RBI | SO | SB | BA | OBP | SLG | wOBA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99 | 370 | 63 | 18 | 65 | 87 | 11 | .286 | .364 | .514 | .369 |
However, this year's outfield pool is quite loaded and the 30-year-old is projected to go in the 16th round according to Rotoballer rankings. Harper is ranked 152 in 5×5 Roto Leagues and especially with a deep outfield class, it is difficult to rank a player highly when he misses half of the season.
As of now, I would draft him at his current 150.30 ADP, but if Harper's timeline gets bumped up a few weeks, I wouldn't oppose drafting him earlier.
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