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Bryce Harper Offers High Praise on Phillies Pitcher's Dominating 2025 Season

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matthew Sullivan | Last updated May 21, 2025 3:35 PM ET

The Philadelphia Phillies have a ton of great starting pitchers within the organization. But the one taking the team and the league by storm is the most recent addition in Jesus Luzardo.

After Luzardo's strong six innings against the Colorado Rockies, Phillies superstar Bryce Harper had high praise for Luzardo.

In a post-game interview courtesy of NBC Sports Philadelphia, Harper said, "He's super smart out there, he just throws what he wants to, he knows how to pitch... It's super impressive."

Harper's praise of Luzardo comes after his outing against the Rockies, where he lowered his season ERA to 1.95 and raised his season WAR to 2.9, the highest among all pitchers in baseball.

The praise for Luzardo didn't stop there. Harper mentioned how glad he was that Luzardo is on the Phillies, and how he remembers facing Luzardo when he was with the Miami Marlins.

"I've said it a million times, I'm glad he's on our team," Harper said. "We've faced him multiple times when he was in Miami, and it was always a tough game for us."

During Luzardo's time in Miami, he faced the Phillies six times. In those six appearances, Luzardo had a 3.25 ERA, a 3 and 1 record, 45 strikeouts, and 36 innings pitched. His average start against the Phillies went 6 innings with 7.5 strikeouts.

No longer having to go against Luzardo is a good thing for the Phillies. He's pitched fairly well against Philadelphia and would've given the Phillies a challenge during the 2025 season if they hadn't traded for him.

Luzardo's addition to the team is massive, especially considering the injuries to Aaron Nola and Ranger Suarez. Zack Wheeler is the team's ace, but Luzardo is giving him a run for his money with such a dominant start to the year.

His incredible start has Luzardo in the CY Young conversation, even being ranked first atop ESPN's CY Young Prediction site.

Harper, and likely the rest of the Phillies organization, is glad they no longer have to face Luzardo.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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