Harper: Individual stats are great but World Series is priority

Philadelphia Phillies star first baseman Bryce Harper has accomplished a lot on the baseball diamond - except winning the ultimate prize.

"Individual stats are great, but that one thing, man ... that World Series. That's what you want to do," Harper said, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. "(Stats) will take care of themselves if you're winning and if you're staying healthy."

Harper and the Phillies came close in 2022 when they lost the Fall Classic in six games to the Houston Astros. They lost the NLCS in seven games the next year and were upset in the NLDS in 2024.

Harper joined the Phillies in 2019 after seven seasons with the Washington Nationals, who went on to win their first World Series that year.

Despite Harper's lack of playoff success, the 32-year-old has a realistic shot at reaching several significant career milestones over the remaining seven years of his contract. That includes the possibility of joining the 500-homer club.

"You've got to stay healthy (to reach 500)," said Harper, who currently has 336 career home runs. "You've got to stay strong. You've got to be on winning teams, too, I feel like. Obviously, you can do it without that. But I feel like it just pushes you that much more to be great, being in an organization with a fan base that pushes you every day."

The two-time MVP and eight-time All-Star owns a career .911 OPS (143 OPS+) through 13 MLB seasons.