Bryce Harper pushes back on criticism of Team USA in WBC, shares hopes for 2028 Olympics

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Fresh off his dramatic championship-game home run and a silver-medal finish at the World Baseball Classic, Bryce Harper returned to Phillies camp on Thursday morning with plenty of thoughts on his Team USA experience.

Harper, once a rising phenom who represented the United States in international tournaments as a teenager, relished his chance to rep the red, white and blue again this spring. The two-time National League MVP batted .214 in seven games as Team USA’s first baseman, but he did go 2-for-4 with a game-tying home run in the gold-medal game. Venezuela ultimately rallied back in the ninth inning to win its first WBC.

“Obviously, it didn’t come out the way we wanted it to,” Harper said inside the clubhouse at BayCare Ballpark. “All the congratulations to Venezuela. They played great. Their pitching was awesome, dynamite for them. That was a great championship game.”

With a star-studded roster filled to the brim with elite talent, the United States’ inability to capture the WBC title was a disappointment. Team USA’s run was also filled with some controversy and outside criticism about whether or not the players and organization took the tournament as seriously as other countries. Harper made sure to strongly push back on that sentiment.

“I think the worst notion that anybody had for Team USA is that we didn’t care, that we don’t care about our country, we didn’t play for our country or anything else like that,” Harper said. “And I said that before, so that’s farthest from the truth, obviously: Because a guy didn’t throw, he doesn’t love his country, or a guy didn’t throw, (so) we don’t care as much.”

It started with Tigers ace Tarik Skubal’s decision to make one start during pool play against Great Britain and not pitch after that. It led to questions about the commitment level of both Skubal and the organization for allowing that type of arrangement.

Next up was when manager Mark DeRosa did a television interview indicating the United States had already advanced into the quarterfinals when it had not yet clinched. DeRosa definitely set a lineup like a manager who thought the pool-play matchup had no stakes, despite later claiming he “misspoke.” It led to much discussion about Team USA’s preparation and if it had overlooked opponents or aspects of the tournament.

The United States did later advance (with help from Italy) and eventually moved into the championship, where it drew even more critiques, as closer Mason Miller did not appear in the ninth inning of a tied game. The Padres only allowed him to pitch in a save situation. Meanwhile, Venezuela operated with fewer bullpen restrictions after manager Omar López negotiated with a few of his relievers’ major-league teams.

“You got to respect the parameters of each guy and their season and each organization,” Harper said. “So obviously, Venezuela had guys that threw back to back, and they were OK with that. That’s fine. We weren’t able to do that. And I’m not saying that was win or lose, right?”

Certain countries got better buy-in than others in the WBC, and a number of different factors came into play. Harper said that if he was a pitcher, he’d want to throw in this kind of competition no matter what, but he understands concerns about injury or overuse during March. He also acknowledged that big-league clubs “own the rights to us,” meaning Major League Baseball’s teams will always have final say on guidelines or restrictions.

Harper believes that some of those issues might not be as prevalent in 2028 during the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles if major leaguers are able to compete in Olympic baseball for the first time. He received some heat during the WBC for saying the tournament is “not the Olympics.” But Harper thinks that the Olympics Games have the chance to be even better competition. He hopes that the week-long, eight-nation tournament in July 2028 will have fewer limitations for players since it will take place during the season instead of beforehand.

“If we get to LA and we get the Olympics in baseball, you’ll see a much different Team USA, I would imagine,” Harper said, “pitching wise, bullpen wise, just because it will be that two-week break in the middle of the season. And I don’t know if that would change (the outcome) or not, because obviously Venezuela will be better. The Dominican is going to be better. Japan is going to be better. All the teams are going to be better. … So obviously it’s going to be a lot better of a tournament. And the middle of the season should be a lot of fun for guys.”

That’s not to say Harper was dismissive of the WBC. He made cherished memories with Team USA, and he thought the championship game at Miami’s loanDepot Park was a fitting culmination, as well as a springboard for international baseball going forward.

“I thought baseball won in that moment,” Harper, who shook the hands of the Venezuelan players after Team USA’s loss, said. “It was a great tournament, all the cultures coming together to play this great game. And I think people saw that. I think people really looked at that and saw that. And I think it’s a great stepping stone into LA. What an opportunity we have to hopefully play in the Olympics. And I think a lot more guys are going to want to do the WBC, and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”