Citizens Bank Park Unfriendly to Bryce Harper Recently

Bryce Harper has struggled in his last two seasons at Citizens Bank Park, the yard he’ll call home for years to come.

Well, a few days have passed since the Bryce Harper news became official and surprisingly, the mood in the DMV area hasn’t varied. Fans, after all, knew he was going somewhere, so any feelings they had, either way, already came and went.

The same cannot be said for the Philadelphia fans; they’re eagerly awaiting the powerful lefty stroke Harper provides, proving as much through the emptying of their wallets. In the 24 hours after the news officially broke, the team saw Citizen Bank Park ticket sales reach six-figures, according to an interview between Phillies senior vice president of ticket operations John Weber and Philadelphia’s 94WIP.

In regards to the figure, Weber also noted that it “must be a record” for one day.

But if a few Phillies’ fanatics looked at how Bryce Harper performed in recent years at Citizens Bank Park, they might pump the brakes a bit. He’s been atrocious at his new home park over the last two seasons, posting numbers far below his career marks across the board (ie: .183 BA in 49 ABs compared to a .279 career BA). Details below:

Bryce Harper: ‘17-’18 (at CBP) vs. Career

Batting Average
2017 (at CBP):.161
2018 (at CBP): .222
2012-18 (Career): .279

Slugging Percentage
2017 (at CBP): .389
2018 (at CBP): .355
2012-18 (Career): .512

OPS
2017 (at CBP): .689
2018 (at CBP): .750
2012-18 (Career): .900

Strike Outs per AB
2017 (at CBP): .48
2018 (at CBP): .39
2012-18 (Career): .25

One category he did perform slightly better in is home runs per AB, which makes sense because CBP is consistently one of the most hitter-friendly ballparks in baseball. In 2017 and 2018, he averaged a home run every 16.3 ABs at Citizens Bank Park, a smidge ahead of his 17.9 career average.

With all that said, Harper has never been consistent on a season-to-season basis. He wouldn’t surprise me or anyone else if he replicated his 2015 MVP campaign this year for Philadelphia; the raw talent has always been there, he’s just accustomed to extreme bouts of success and mediocrity.

In 2015, it should be noted, Harper hit .345 at CBP with five home runs and a 1.338 OPS.

Featured Image: Keith Allison [CC BY-SA 2.0], from Flickr