Jul 23, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm (28), first baseman Bryce Harper (3), shortstop Trea Turner (7) and second baseman Bryson Stott (5) celebrate after defeating the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports Jesse Johnson
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Bryce Harper has declared that the Daycare Era is over.
Prior to Thursday's Opening Day matchup against the Nationals, Harper got asked what he's told some of the young guys and newer players on the Phillies coming into the season.
"Yeah, young guys. First of all, they're not the daycare anymore," Harper said. "Obviously, they're on this team. It's gonna be a lot of fun for them to go in and enjoy this year. I want them to just have fun.
"At this moment in their career, they have a lot of guys in here that have played baseball for a long time and have been in the game for a long time," Harper continued. "I want them to put all the pressure on us and just go out and play their game ... just have fun, enjoy the moment because this might be the last time they are able to do that. Because if they do go to a different team or they're with us or anything else like that, they're gonna be the guy one day. So I want them to kind of just enjoy that moment of playing ball and having a good time and enjoying it as much as they can."
Bryce Harper says “they’re not the daycare anymore.”
(Via @TimKellySports) pic.twitter.com/pnYX2hXuqB
"The Daycare" nickname caught on with fans after a story that Alex Coffey wrote for The Philadelphia Inquirer during the 2022 season, referring to some of the younger players on the team at the time.
Some of the players who were part of the original daycare are long gone, like Matt Vierling and Nick Maton. Meanwhile, Alec Bohm is 28. Bryson Stott is 27. Brandon Marsh is 27. They are young relative to Harper, Trea Turner, Nick Castellanos, J.T. Realmuto and Kyle Schwarber in what's one of the older lineups in baseball. But make no mistake, Bohm, Stott and Marsh are all veterans at this stage.
Harper's answer is interesting because he wasn't asked a necessarily heavy question, but he responded with a pretty deep answer. It felt like something he had been thinking about for a while. And there's definitely a reality to it.
While Bohm, Stott and Marsh all have at least one remaining arbitration year after this season, none are guaranteed to be with the Phillies in 2026. Bohm's name was mentioned frequently in trade rumors this past offseason. Stott is coming off of disappointing offensive campaign, and given that he had a nerve issue in his right elbow for much of 2024, there's reason to think he could bounce back in 2025. He'll need to, because top prospect Aidan Miller could push Trea Turner to second base next season otherwise. Meanwhile, Marsh will get runway early in the season to prove he can hit left-handed pitching. Whether he's able to do that or not will go a long way in determining how he's viewed as he gets more expensive through the arbitration process.
Harper didn't say it this way, but in many senses his message was one that a parent gives a kid the summer before their senior year of high school — soak it in now, because one way or another, more responsibilities are coming in the not-so-distant future.
For his part, Harper is confident that the trio most associated the with daycare moniker are ready to come of age in 2025.
"I think our young guys are going to have a great year," Harper said. "I think they're gonna have a really good mentality this year and go in and just play their game and have fun and enjoy it. I think they're gonna lead the way for us a little bit."
