CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Bryce Harper really does want to be a Phillie for life.
He pulled up his right sleeve on Monday morning at BayCare Ballpark to reveal the permanence of his desire. This offseason, Harper got a fine-line tattoo on his right forearm of the Phillie Phanatic riding his ATV.
“I’ve been wanting it for a while,” Harper said. “Obviously, the Phanatic and Philly mean a lot. But when I think about the Phanatic, it’s him on an ATV. I thought it was pretty cool.”
Harper, 32, was a Phanatic fan before he signed a 13-year, $330 million contract with the Phillies in 2019. But since he joined the Phils, the love affair between the two-time NL MVP and the Galapagos-born green bird has grown. Harper has worn a custom-made green Phanatic-inspired suit to the ballpark. He used a custom-made Phanatic bat at last summer’s London Series, with the Phanatic depicted as a King’s Guard at Buckingham Palace.
Harper regularly wears green Phanatic spikes in games, which are different than the custom-made Phanatic spikes he wore only once for pregame introductions on Opening Day 2020 at Citizens Bank Park.
Harper uses a Phanatic sliding mitt. He has sported a Phanatic headband, which became an instant best-seller at the team store.
“I don’t know,” Harper said. “I just love Philly. I love the Phanatic. It’s just fun.”
Harper said he was researching fine-line tattoo artists in the offseason, when he discovered Utah-based Hannah Matthews.
“She was awesome,” Harper said. “I looked up fine-line and reached out to her to see if she could recommend anybody. She said, ‘Oh, I’ll do it.’ She came into town and did it. ‘Just come to the house. My family is going to be all over the place, running all over, but we’ll get it done.’”
Matthews expressed her appreciation for the opportunity and her love of baseball in an Instagram post.
If photographers get closeups of Harper hitting this year, fans might see the tattoo in between Harper’s right wrist, which is often taped, and his arm sleeve.
They also might notice the Phanatic driving his ATV in the direction of Harper’s swing.
Or, putting it another way, the Phanatic driving his ATV toward the outfield wall.
“People can kind of see that as I swing,” Harper said. “Him driving off my arm, I thought it looked pretty cool.”