When it was first reported the Giants were interested in acquiring six-time All-Star Bryce Harper, we checked the numbers on how he performed at AT&T Oracle Park.
Across his career thus far, Harper boasts a .164/.305/.284 line with just two home runs in 19 games.
Not great, but he knew that. It's also well documented that Oracle Park is one of the toughest places to hit in all of baseball.
The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal recently asked Harper if the difference in parks offensively was an issue. Harper said that wasn't a concern -- he did the homework just like you and I did.
"I saw my (home-run) overlays on each park - Nationals Park, L.A., San Fran, Philly. The overlays weren't as crazy as people would think," Harper said in an interview with FS1.
"Hitting the ball to left-center in San Francisco, it's a little bit of a jet stream. And I hit my balls to left-center a lot. Of course, you factor in wind and cold weather, things like that. But that was never really a factor."
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Oracle Park is a terror to hitters not named Nolan Arenado or Gerardo Parra. but it can be a pitcher's best friend if said pitcher is able to take advantage of that.
But Harper seemed to indicate he would have enjoyed the challenges of playing in a pitcher's park, even telling Rosenthal it would make him a more refined hitter.
"I'm not scared of ballparks. It was kind of like, ‘If I go into San Fran, it will make me a better hitter because I'll have to stay on the ball.' You have Triples Alley to right. But if I stay on the ball and hit the ball to left, then pull homers to right, the line drives to left would have played. So ballpark-wise, it wasn't that big of a decision to me."
[RELATED: Giants offer Harper 12-year, $310 million]
We will see if that confidence still resonates with him when he and the Phillies come to Oracle Park later this summer.
