MIAMI — After the news of Davey Johnson’s passing had spread across baseball on Saturday, Phillies superstar Bryce Harper reflected on the time he spent with his first major-league manager at the start of his career.
Before Harper became Philadelphia’s first baseman with two National League MVPs under his belt and an inside path toward Cooperstown, he arrived in the big leagues as a 19-year-old phenom with the world ahead of him. He made his debut under Johnson in April of 2012, crashing into outfield walls, flipping off his helmet on the bases and catching fire down the stretch as he earned the National League Rookie of the Year Award and the Nationals won the NL East to secure their first postseason berth since the franchise moved to Washington.