Bryce Harper cracks Baseball-Reference's 2023 Year-in-Review list
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Shohei Ohtani, the world's highest-paid athlete whose record-breaking $700-million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers has deferments that will pay him $680 million after 2033, was the most viewed Baseball-Reference page in 2023.
Unsurprisingly, sure. But the Baseball-Reference year in review does have some Phillies ties.
Bryce Harper was the 10th most viewed page on the popular baseball statistics website - he had the top views in both Pennsylvania and Delaware. Not New Jersey, however. That honor goes to New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge.
Ohtani was the most viewed player on Baseball-Reference in 37 of the 50 states. Harper was No. 1 in Pennsylvania and Delaware, Judge in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, Ronald Acuña Jr. in Georgia and Alabama, Christian Yelich in Wisconsin, Luis Arráez in Minnesota and North Dakota, Julio Rodriguez in Washington and Corbin Carroll in Arizona.
While Ohtani dominated Baseball-Reference page views in 2023, the two-way superstar didn't take home the most views in a single day honor. That goes to former Phillies third baseman Scott Rolen.
Rolen had the most views of any player on Jan. 24, 2023, the day it was revealed he was being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Ohtani's contract with the Dodgers made him the highest-paid athlete in the world and surpassed his former Angels teammate Mike Trout's 12-year, $426 million contract as the largest ever signed in MLB.
Tying it back to Harper?
Harper's 13-year, $330 million contract with the Phillies in 2019 was once the largest baseball contract many moons ago.
Here are the top 10 player page views in 2023.
- Ohtani
- Trout
- Judge
- Acuña
- Barry Bonds
- Juan Soto
- Cabrera
- Mookie Betts
- Justin Verlander
- Harper