Bryce Harper is definitely a living legend in his sport, but does he stack up against icons like LeBron James and Tiger Woods? Well, as per star radio host Christopher Rose, he’s on the same level of greatness, despite some odds on his plate. There is no doubt that Harper has been passionate about baseball since his school days. And unlike many, he has lived up to those expectations, entering the league in 2010 at 19 years old.

Doesn’t this remind you of LeBron James,  the NBA legend who made it to the league during his teen years, destined for greatness? Baseball fans have seen Harper’s potential from the start and watched him achieve it, along similar lines. In a recent video shared on Chris Rose Sports’ X account, Rose was seen having a candid conversation with Trevor Plouffe. They discussed how, even without a World Series ring (yet), Harper’s legacy in MLB is secure, and more.

Chris Rose speaks his mind on Bryce Harper’s MLB trajectory

The radio host started with a big question for Trevor: “How much does Bryce Harper need to win it all in order to vault his legacy?” To which, the former baseball player replied, “People have known him since he was in high school, and he has been kinda lived up to those expectations.” You might be thinking, ‘Kinda?’; and well, Rose asked him the same. He correctly put it: “Most ball players we get know once they have reached the major leagues”, whereas, unlike them, “Bryce was that guy who has been up there, with LeBron James and Tiger Woods, when it comes to teenage phenoms”. On a side note, did you know that back in high school, Bryce Harper hit a massive 570-foot home run at just 16 years old?

That’s incredibly close to the all-time baseball record of 575 feet set by Babe Ruth. Moreover, Bryce Harper also has a record 461-foot home run in the Major Leagues. He is making it clear that he’s always had that legendary potential, as emphasized by Chris Rose. Even in his 13th season, Bryce was in the MVP race. He was going head-to-head with Shohei Ohtani until a hamstring injury set him back. During the exchange, Rose also noted that even without a World Series ring, Harper has made his impact on the sport. But here’s the twist—Harper himself feels differently.

Bryce Harper has been visualizing a World Series win

The 31-year-old baseball champ has occasionally expressed his urge to win the series: “Those are the things (winning a World Series) that you want to do with your team because those are the cool moments in the game” Well, it doesn’t mean that the Phillies’ right fielder didn’t have his share of cool moments in the game. He’s been named MVP twice and has also clinched the National League Silver Slugger Award three times. Plus, he’s hit a whopping 334 home runs so far. 

Although he respects every award presented to him, when it comes to the World Series, Bryce Harper believes, “‘Man, that’s the one, right?’ That’s what you want as a team, that’s what you want as an organization, and that’s what I want.” Not just about him, the Phillies fans also want to see their team win, as their last triumph was in 2008. And ever since Bryce joined, he hasn’t even got to sniff the World Series game; forget about winning.  

Rose is often asked why he sees Aaron Judge and Bryce Harper differently. Even though neither has snagged a World Series yet, according to him, it’s all about where they play. “The city of Philadelphia is very demanding. They don’t have the winning history like the Yankees. So when talking about the greatest Yankees of all time, you have to have a championship. But for the greatest Phillies, the thing is different.” So, in short, when it comes to the greatest Phillies, the expectations are different, with Harper playing an active role in building these standards.

To the extent that without clinching the ring, and even if he never gets to, Bryce Harper will still be remembered for generations. Do you think the Phillies will clinch the World Series soon and make Bryce’s dream come true? Let us know in the comments.