![]() ![]() 3 as his new number, the uniform retailer Fanatics reported that initial demand for his jersey had outpaced demand for anyone else’s, including when LeBron James signed with the Lakers. Merch is a hot topic lately after Harper signed with the Phillies and selected no. Fans begin arriving far in advance, the better to snag a good seat at the tiki bar, Frenchy’s, out beyond right field, or to peruse the merch tents. But at Spectrum Field, the morning still has a brisk big-game-day pace that stands out from the usual dazed amble of spring training. Phillies manager Gabe Kapler has set expectations low for Harper’s first spring game, noting in advance that he’ll bat only twice, at best. This spring day in Florida, though, after a last-minute push by the Giants, the Dodgers, and the Phillies to woo the player Sports Illustrated anointed “Baseball’s Chosen One” on its cover when he was just 16 years old, here it is at last, proof that this is all real: Harper’s name written on the Phillies lineup, batting third. When it came to Harper, even just a couple of weeks prior to his spring debut MLB fans were still reduced to feasting on scraps of information about private planes landing in Harper’s hometown of Las Vegas and dodging fake rumormongering Twitter accounts. In November, Phillies owner John Middleton said, “We’re going into this expecting to spend money and maybe even be a little bit stupid about it.” Instead, the hot stove stayed cold, the players and front offices idled, and it took until after spring training began-a previously unthinkable timeline-for Machado to sign a $300 million, 10-year deal with the San Diego Padres. This seemed primed to be a circus of an offseason, with Harper and fellow franchise cornerstone Oriole-turned-Dodger Manny Machado hitting the free-agent market at last. Check out all of The Ringer ’s MLB coverage leading up to Opening Day
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