Bryce Harper was not the first super-star that the Phillies signed for a record deal. That honor belongs to one of the greatest players the game has ever seen: Pete Rose.
The all-time leader in hits joined Howard Eskin on Saturday morning to talk about the 1980s Phillies teams and his view of the current team. When asked about Harper, Rose gave high praise for the Phillies star right-fielder:
"Bryce Harper is one of the top five players in baseball. His problem is, how about this, he leaves the Washington Nationals and they win the World Series. He's dying to win a championship."
Bryce Harper talks about seeing his former team win the World Series. #On94WIP-- pic.twitter.com/MoXQhf0cVh
— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) March 5, 2020Rose knows a thing or two about winning a championship. The three-time World Series champion won two with the Cincinnati Reds, although Phillies fans remember his role in the 1980 World Series where he brought one home to Philadelphia. For Rose, winning it all is about the pitching staff, and he thinks the Phillies need to focus more on that front:
"I am going to tell you what I'm would do if I was the general manager of the team. See what the Yankees do? They go out and sign the best pitcher. You aren't going to win by signing a guy you know is going to hit 35 home runs because there are going to be a lot of guys who hit 35 home runs. I'm not going to put my big money into a player that may have a good year, may not have a good year. You win with pitching, not with slugging."
"I want the Phillies to get some front line pitching to surround themselves underneath Bryce Harper… You can't outscore the opposition every night. You have to win 9-8, 8-7 every night. You have to win some of those 2-1, 1-0 type games. The teams who do that are the teams that win the most games. You have to have pitching. Good pitching stops good hitting."
#phillies BP at training camp workout at Citizens Bank Park. Bryce Harper facing Zach Eflin. Nothing left the park. @SportsRadioWIP pic.twitter.com/ay9kX0zcYi
— Howard Eskin (@howardeskin) July 6, 2020In his first year as a Phillie, Rose had a great year, leading the league in on-base percentage while collecting over 200 hits. The team, however, floundered after a hot start. Danny Ozark was fired midway through the season and the managerial change was the biggest reason the Phillies took off in 1980, according to Rose.
"The biggest reason we won in 1980… was Dallas Green. I give all the credit of the 1980 Phillies to Dallas Green just because his personality, that was the perfect personality for that group of guys."
Harper finds himself in a similar situation after the Phillies fired Gabe Kapler and brought in Joe Girardi. With the shortened-season set to begin on July 24, Harper and the Phillies look to make their first postseason appearance in nine years.
