Subtly and otherwise, Harper pushing for Phils to resign Realmuto

Bryce Harper makes $330,000,000 to play baseball and to play a part.

He is paid to hit home runs and delight home fans. He is paid to go face-first into second base and be the face of a billion-dollar-plus franchise. He is paid to make statements with his bat, his wisdom and his body language.

He is paid, and paid well, because he does so much of that so expertly.

Though Citizens Bank Park was empty Friday for the Phillies’ first semi-open practice since virus concerns whisked them away from Clearwater in March, there were enough media outlets in the building and enough photographers visible in the stands for Harper to know what to expect when he chose his attire for batting practice. And while virtually every other Phillie wore nondescript, red tops, Harper rocked a distinctively white, No. 10 J.T. Realmuto shirt.

That made him stand out. So did the way he drilled pitches to all fields, a few into the right

field seats. And so did the fact that Realmuto, the best catcher in baseball, is committed to the Phillies only for another 60 games.

Considering that Harper committed to the Phillies for 13 years with the idea that the organization would do whatever it took to win world championships, the symbolism of his selection of athletic-wear for his first appearance before cameras in months could not be ignored.

“I wore that underneath my jersey last year,” Harper said after practice. “It was actually a cut-off version. I wore it for the second half of the season. It was a tee-shirt day at the ballpark and I had one. I stole one for this year as well. It was very comfortable underneath my jersey and I think it gave me a little bit of good luck.

“So there was no message. No message.”

Harper has always owned his own style, even making a silly, Phanaticthemed bandana a virtual fashion craze last season. So if he says that wearing a Realmuto cut-off teeshirt was for comfort and not to spread franchisewide discomfort, well, why not? Besides, there would be another way to drive home his feeling about Realmuto and what he would mean to the Phillies: His words.

“I mean, I think J.T.’s a great player,” he said. “So if the Phillies don’t wind up signing him back, which would be terrible and be sad, I think there’s a lot of other teams out there that are going to want to sign the guy. He’s a Gold Glove-caliber catcher every year. He’s a great person, a great player. Everybody in this organization from the top down wants to see him in red pinstripes for the rest of his career. And hopefully we can make that happen.”

The Phillies will try to make something happen in this, the second season of Harper’s 13-year commitment. But the dynamics of the 60-game season will allow the Phils to face only teams from the NL East and AL East, and that will be a challenge. By Harper’s count, that new Big East will have as many as 14 Cy Young Award candidates, and he may be coming in low. But he is in for the long-term, and is all-in this season, even with an expectant wife. That’s relevant because another mega-star, Mike Trout, is also an expectant father, and he has been citing health concerns as a reason he may opt out of the season.

Choices are not always easy in baseball. And choosing to come to the Phillies was not simple for Harper. It’s just that when John Middleton gave him a then-record contract, Harper was right to understand that it was as a part of a greater commitment to organizational excellence. Yet last week, general manager Matt Klentak stunned Phillies fans by saying the “landscape” had changed and that there was enough “uncertainty” in baseball to throw Realmuto’s return into question.

That means there is the risk that an un-signed Realmuto could enter the season with an altered mindset, aware of the possibility of career-threatening injury. If so, the Phillies would be a lesser team for the indecision.

“I think he will play hard,” Joe Girardi said. “In the short time I have been around him, I don’t think it will affect him. But we can’t really tell until we get into the season.”

Girardi was high on what he has seen from Realmuto, not just in Clearwater but in recent days as the Phillies have trained in and around the ballpark. And Realmuto didn’t become an All-Star catcher by being risk-averse. But the general manager is admitting to uncertainty and the manager says he will know more about how Realmuto will react in a month. Then came Harper and a newsworthy choice of practice gear.

Empty stadium or not, he knows how to create a stir.

“Everybody who goes onto a baseball field this year, it’s going to be a challenge,” Harper said. “But you have to remember that you are playing for your teammates and you are playing for the fans that are watching at home. They are probably excited as all get-out to watch you play and I am going to play my same game.

“Whether it is at 7:05 or 1:05, they are going to be watching.”

They’ll be watching it all, the home runs and strikeouts, the newly ordered airhigh-fives and the downand-dirty slides. Bryce Harper knows that, and he should have known it Friday when he dressed for work, sending a signal that would not have taken the Houston Astros to de-code.