Bryce Harper
Bryce Harper is a prominent American baseball player known for his exceptional talent and early rise in the sport. Born on October 16, 1992, in Las Vegas, Nevada, Harper was recognized as a generational talent, becoming the first overall pick in the 2010 MLB Draft at just seventeen years old. After a successful stint at the College of Southern Nevada, he debuted with the Washington Nationals in 2012, quickly earning accolades including the National League Rookie of the Year Award and multiple All-Star selections. His peak came in 2015 when he won the National League MVP Award, solidifying his status as one of baseball's elite players.
Despite his individual success, Harper faced criticism for his performance in the postseason and for his on-field behavior, leading to a polarizing reputation among fans and commentators. After leaving the Nationals in 2018, he signed a historic thirteen-year, $330 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, marking a significant moment in sports history. Throughout his career, Harper has continued to make headlines, including a strong performance in the 2021 season that earned him a second MVP award and a dramatic role in the 2022 playoffs that led the Phillies to the World Series. As of 2024, Harper is proving his versatility by playing first base, further contributing to his team's success as they continue to compete in the postseason.
Bryce Harper
- Born: October 16, 1992
- Place of Birth: Las Vegas, Nevada
Hailed as a generational baseball talent, Bryce Harper was one of the most hyped young athletes of all time, even before becoming the first pick of the 2010 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft at the age of seventeen. Harper left high school after two years to play baseball at the College of Southern Nevada, and when he was drafted by the Washington Nationals, he became the first junior college player selected in the number one spot in MLB history. He debuted with the Nationals in 2012 and had an immediate impact, earning his first All-Star selection and winning the National League (NL) Rookie of the Year Award. He would go on to earn more recognition as one of baseball's top players over the next several years, most notably winning the NL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award in 2015. However, he also drew criticism from some sports commentators and fans who questioned his attitude and suggested he did not live up to his true potential, especially as he failed to lead Washington to postseason success. Harper became a free agent following the 2018 season and signed a record-setting contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Background
Bryce Aron Max Harper was born on October 16, 1992, in Las Vegas, Nevada. His father was a steelworker, and his mother was a paralegal. He developed his baseball skills early on—he was playing T-ball at the age of three and was being courted by travel teams throughout the Western US at the age of nine. (Travel baseball teams consist of kids who travel across the country to participate in tournaments, often playing as many as one hundred games per year.) By his sophomore year at Las Vegas High, the baseball accolades had begun to pile up for Harper, who predominantly played catcher. In 2009, he won the annual High School Player of the Year award, presented by Baseball America.
Harper Hype
With the realization that he needed to face competition that was more challenging if we wanted to fast-track his baseball career, Harper left after his sophomore year of high school and enrolled at the College of Southern Nevada, a junior college. (He later earned his GED in order to qualify for the 2010 MLB Draft.) After swatting thirty-one home runs—eclipsing the old school record of twelve—Harper was named the 2010 SWAC (Scenic West Athletic Conference) Player of the Year. He also led his team to the National Junior College World Series (though Harper was suspended during the series, and his team was eliminated).
Buoyed by such accolades as well as other accomplishments—such as setting a new record for the longest home run at Tropicana Field, home to the Tampa Bay Rays, at 502 feet during an international home run hitting exhibition, and being featured on the June 8, 2009, cover of Sports Illustrated—Harper soon became the talk of baseball, heralded as a "once-in-a-generation talent" and the "LeBron James" of baseball. His skill set at such a young age, coupled with the fanfare, made Harper the first overall pick in the June 2010 MLB draft, selected by the Washington Nationals. He also became the first junior college player selected in the number one spot in MLB history.
Washington Nationals
Harper progressed quickly through the Nationals' minor league system, especially after beginning to wear contact lenses. He also shifted from catcher to outfielder. Early in the 2012 season he was promoted to Washington's major-league club, and he quickly showed signs of living up to the incredible expectations placed upon him. He was named an All-Star as an injury replacement, becoming the youngest position player ever to receive that honor. He finished the season with a .270 batting average and 22 home runs and was named the NL Rookie of the Year. Many baseball fans saw him as a potential savior for the long-suffering Nationals franchise.
In the 2013 season Harper continued to show his considerable power, hitting 20 home runs with a .274 average and earning a second All-Star appearance. However, his 2014 campaign was derailed by a thumb injury, and he appeared in just one hundred games. Harper bounced back with a 2015 season widely regarded as one of the finest individual offensive performances of the era, an achievement recognized with the NL MVP Award (a unanimous decision), the NL Hank Aaron Award (for the league's best overall hitter), a Silver Slugger Award (presented to each league's best hitter at each position), and an All-Star selection that year. He led the NL in several statistical categories, including home runs (42), runs (118), on-base percentage (.460), and slugging percentage (.649), and his batting average was a robust .330. Although the Nationals missed the play-offs, Harper appeared to have fully reached the superstar level that many had long predicted.
Harper would be named an All-Star the next three seasons in a row, but despite generally solid play he was unable to match his prodigious 2015 performance. He hit just .243 with 24 home runs in 2016, improved to .319 with 29 home runs in 2017, and hit .249 with 34 home runs in 2018 (he also won the annual Home Run Derby showcase that year). He also drew some controversy—and occasional suspensions and fines—for behavior such as arguing with umpires and engaging in on-field brawls. Meanwhile, despite frequently excelling during the regular season, the Nationals failed to progress in the play-offs, losing in the first round in both 2016 and 2017. In 2018 the team missed the postseason altogether.
Philadelphia Phillies
Unable to agree to a contract extension with the Nationals, Harper entered free agency following the 2018 season. By this time, he had developed a somewhat polarizing reputation, with some observers ranking him as one of the best players in the MLB and others considering him wildly overrated. Reportedly entertaining offers from several teams, Harper ultimately signed a thirteen-year deal with the Philadelphia Phillies worth $330 million. This set a record for the most lucrative guaranteed contract in the history of North American sports, though it was surpassed weeks later by fellow MLB star Mike Trout's $430 million extension with the Los Angeles Angels.
In his first season with the Phillies, Harper hit .260 with 35 home runs. The team finished a disappointing 81–81 and missed the playoffs. The Nationals, meanwhile, went on to win the 2019 World Series without Harper. In 2020, the baseball season was shortened to just sixty games due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but in 2021, Harper had a successful season with the Phillies, which saw him win his second National League MVP award.
In 2022, despite an injury that caused Harper to play much of the season as a designated hitter, Harper and the Phillies reached the World Series. Harper propelled Philadelphia into the series with a dramatic eighth-inning home run in game five of the National League Championship Series (NLCS). Trailing 3-2, Harper's blast put the Philles up 4-3, which was the eventual finial score. However, they went on to drop the World Series to the Houston Astros.
Harper underwent Tommy John surgery after the 2022 season, causing him to miss some time in 2023. When he came back, he provided a spark to the team, leading them into the playoffs and a berth in the NLCS. In 2024, Harper played the season at first base, hitting 30 home runs with 87 RBIs. Once again, he and the Phillies earned a spot in the postseason.
Bibliography
"Bryce Harper." Baseball Reference, 2024, www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/harpebr03-bat.shtml. Accessed 30 Sept. 2024.
"Bryce Harper." MLB.com, 2024, www.mlb.com/player/bryce-harper-547180. Accessed 30 Sept. 2024.
McGrath, Brian. "Watch Harper's Epic HR Again and Again, From Multiple Angles." MLB.com, 28 Oct. 2022, www.mlb.com/news/bryce-harper-nlcs-game-5-home-run. Accessed 30 Sept. 2024.
Salisbury, Jim. “Source: Bryce Harper had Tommy John Surgery, Could be Swinging by Mid-May.” NBC Sports, 23 Nov. 2022, www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/phillies/bryce-harper-has-tommy-john-surgery. Accessed 30 Sept. 2024.
Schwarz, Alan. "At 17, Baseball's Next Sure Thing: Bryce Harper." The New York Times, 15 May 2010, www.nytimes.com/2010/05/16/sports/baseball/16nationals.html. Accessed 30 Sept. 2024.
Zolecki, Todd. "Harper, Phils Agree to 13-Year Deal." MLB.com, 2 Mar. 2019, www.mlb.com/phillies/news/bryce-harper-deal-with-phillies.Accessed 30 Sept. 2024.