The Phenom

It’s safe to say that Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper is in that rare air, as at 23-years of age, he isn’t living the life of a normal person his age. In 2010, Harper was the first overall pick of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Nationals and while most players who were the first pick have struggled, he has lived to the hype and then some. In 2012, Harper batted .270 with 22 home runs and 59 runs batted in to be named as the National League’s Rookie of the Year. Harper would put up decent numbers in his first three years with the Nats, but injuries were limiting him while he was also being overshadowed by Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout as far as being the future face of MLB.

Bryce Harper

But in 2015, Harper would take his game to the next level. Harper became a one-man wrecking crew as he led the National League runs scored (118), home runs (42), on-base percentage (.460), and slugging percentage (.649). Harper single-handedly kept the Nationals in playoff contention for the majority of the season as he would go on to be named as the National League MVP.

However Harper appears to be a man that doesn’t like to rest on his laurels. Harper has began the 2016 Major League Baseball like a man possessed. Through 17 games, Harper is batting .311 with 8 home runs and 22 runs batted in which has propelled the Nationals to first place in the National League East. Harper appears to be well on his way to having another MVP-caliber season. And after hitting 42 long balls last year, Harper is one pace to become the first player in Montreal Expos/Nationals history to hit 50 home runs in a season. Harper could also break the club’s single-season home run mark of 46 which was set by Alfonso Soriano in 2006.

When Dusty Baker took over this year as the manager of the Nationals this year, he did something that would be extremely beneficial for him, and tough for the rest of the National League East to deal with. What Baker did was somehow find a way for Harper to get better.

Harper has tremendous hand-eye coordination, and what he is developing now is more plate discipline. Through 69 plate appearances this season, Harper has only struck out 8 times as he is learning to lay off of bad pitches while the proof of that is in his on-base percentage which is currently at .391. And when Harper is locked in like he currently is, just sit back and watch Mr. Excitement go to work.

The Nationals are making the most out of Harper’s torrid start as unlike last year, there have been guys on base when he steps to the plate which always wasn’t the case last year as in spite of going yard 42 times in 2015, Harper only had 99 runs batted in.

For Harper, he is that rare breed of player as he is a superstar that doesn’t shy away from the spotlight. Harper plays in one of the bigger media markets in the United States as he’s always on the back page in D.C and he is almost as recognized in the District as President Obama. But when the Nats are on the road, Harper receives his fair share of jeers and cheers as the people that don’t like him are primarily those who wish that he was suiting up for their favorite team. However make no mistake about it that Harper leaves it all out on the baseball diamond on a daily basis as the fans get their money’s worth each time that he steps onto the field.

Harper not only is the future of Major League Baseball, but he is also the present as the league is looking to make the game more exciting for everyone. The majority of MLB’s fan base is middle-aged men; however Harper is a ray of sunshine for the youth as he can relate to them which is only going to draw them to him and the game of baseball more.

Harper is currently one of baseball’s most marketable players as he has endorsement deals with national brands such as Under Armour, New Era, and Gatorade, while also having deals with companies in the D.C. area. But the elephant in the room is the year 2019 when Harper is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent.

Harper is represented by super agent Scott Boras who has a very strong reputation as far as getting top dollar for his clients. Harper is no different and unless the Nationals can blow Harper and Boras away with an extremely lucrative deal between now and then, there is a very good possibility that Harper could become Major League Baseball’s first $400 million man in 2019. But in the meantime the best thing to do is sit back and watch the magic of Harper as he’ll be coming soon to an MLB park near you.