Bryce Harper has not yet taken an at bat for the Phillies, but he might already be worth every penny of the $26 million the team will pay him this season.
In a town normally dominated by football, Harper and the Phillies are all anyone wants to talk about since the signing, and they are backing it up with their wallets.
According to Fanatics, Harper is now the quickest selling jersey in the company's history.
Did you know @Bharper3407 @Phillies jersey is the #1 selling jersey of all-time in any sport for any player during the first 24 hours of a launch? https://t.co/UDksl7sidu
— Fanatics (@Fanatics) March 3, 2019It is unclear how much money the Phillies make off of jersey sales, but when it comes to Harper, the money doesn't stop there.
According to Forbes, the Phillies have likely sold in the neighborhood of 300,000 tickets since the deal went down. They estimate the value of those tickets to be worth $6-7 million. In fact, with Harper's base salary $10 million this season — the rest of the $26 million is in signing bonuses — it is possible that Harper's entire base salary could be funded through ticket sales by the time the season opens later this month.
VIDEOS: Harper's first workout with Phillies
There is also the exposure that Harper is getting the franchise since his signing. Harper and the Phillies have been the topic of discussion almost 24/7 on 94WIP since he agreed to come to Philadelphia. ESPN had a live broadcast of Harper's first practice with the team. Harper will now be wearing a Phillies' jersey on the cover of MLB The Show, and it would be shocking if he isn't on the cover of Sports Illustrated in the very near future.
Whether Harper ends up being worth the massive, $330 million on the field remains to be seen.
But if fans continue to show the interest they have so far, it is possible that almost anything he does on the field in 2019 will be just icing on the cake financially for the Phillies.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
