Let’s take a trip back to July 21st of 2023. Bryce Harper, a little over a month after a near-miraculous return from Tommy John surgery, took the field to start at first base for the first time in a Major League game. His only previous extensive infield experience was playing catcher in high school. He had logged over 10,000 career innings in the outfield over 11 seasons in the Majors but never played any other position.
Flash forward to nine months later, and Bryce Harper is one of the best fielding first basemen in the Majors. Harper enters play on Thursday leading all 1B in outs above average (3) and defensive WAR (1.