Phillies’ Bryce Harper Picks His Second MVP


PHILADELPHIA — With the Philadelphia Phillies holding on to their playoff hopes and leading by one point in the eighth innings Wednesday night, the moment obviously fell on the best player on the team, the one who helped propel them this far.

When Pat Valaika of the Baltimore Orioles took a single hit onto the outside turf and Pedro Severino rumbled toward the home from second base, Phillies right fielder Bryce Harper grabbed the ball and fired a bouncy shot at JT Realmuto to cut off potential play. – tie run.

Fans attending Citizens Bank Park said something befitting of a superstar whose fiery second-half kept his team afloat and perhaps topped the race for a certain end-of-year trophy he had won once before. : “MVP! MVP!”

“He threw an absolute rocket at home plate,” said Phillies first baseman Matt Vierling after the 4-3 win. “It was a big game, a clutch game by him. He’s a clutch player.”

For too long this season, the National League Most Valuable Player Award seemed to have been awarded to the once exciting San Diego Padres superstar shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. Tatis can still claim the award because of his overall great season – .285 batting average, .988 in-base plus batting percentage, 40 home runs, 25 stolen bases and 94 batting hits. Padres withdraw from end-of-season raceTatis’ game has been characterized by injuries, inconsistent play and bunker arguments.

From the beginning of August to Thursday, he reached .276 with .912 OPS, nine home runs and 24 RBIs in 32 games. He missed 13 games last month because his left shoulder was partially dislocated.

During the same period, Harper produced video game-like numbers: .345 averages, 17 home runs, 42 RBIs and an MLB-best 1,245 OPS that entered Thursday. (Only Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez has more home runs in the same period with 20 points.) Including Thursday’s game, Harper has played in 63 straight games since July 17, notches every day for being on the field. relieved of bruises and fatigue. For the Phillies (79-74), the team sits two games behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL East with nine games left.

“I have to keep going,” he said earlier this month. “This is what this organization has been waiting for. That’s what these fans expect. No matter who is on the mound or how I feel, I have to keep posting every day.”

Harper’s rise sent him pushing up the MLB leaderboards for the season: .312 average (sixth), 33 home runs and 1,050 OPS (first).

“You know when people say they’re burning up and they’re hot a week or a few weeks ago,” said Paco Rodriguez, the Phillies’ first base coach, who also manages field and base run in training. “He’s been hot since the All-Star break. And it’s impressive to watch. Every single step, everyone is looking.”

Duration ALMVP race The NL race features Los Angeles Angels pitcher and this season’s favorite, outstanding kicker Shohei Ohtani, and Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who has led the AL in multiple offensive categories. looks between. much darker.

Some advanced statistics Position Harper as the top hitter in the NL, followed by Washington Nationals right fielder Juan Soto (.325 average and 1,029 OPS) followed by Tatis. But considering all his work, Tatis plays in a more challenging position on the court and is a better base runner.

“There are some really good players in the National League and I’m not saying anything against them, but I get a chance to see what he does every day and that’s an advantage for me,” said Phillies manager Joe Girardi. Harper’s. “Marchs, base running, defense, what they can do on a daily basis – so I’m a bit biased.”

Labeled a genius since appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated at the age of 16, Harper was the NL rookie of the year with the Washington Nationals in 2012 and was named MVP in 2015, when he produced one of the most impressive offensive seasons in MLB history: 42 home runs averaged .330 and 9.7 BATTLE. with 1,109 OPS. he was 22 years old unanimously youngest MVP in baseball history.

Since then, Harper has flirted with a similar brilliance, but has been slowed down by injuries or inconsistencies. In 2019, the first year of his 13-year, $330 million deal with the Phillies, Harper hit .260 with .882 OPS and 35 home runs – strong production for many, but disappointing in light of the high bar set by his talent. . But this season, 28-year-old Harper reminded those who forgot that he is one of the best hitters in baseball.

“The expectations are very high for him, so when he’s not having super-elite seasons like this year, you’re kind of overlooked,” said Phillies shooting coach Joe Dillon, who is an assistant shooting assistant for the Nationals. Coach in Harper’s final season in Washington in 2018.

Dillon later added: “He’s been in a run for a few months where he’s as good as anyone, but for some reason you’re still not surprised by it, it’s just not fair to him. But that’s just the prospects around him. It takes a second to look back to realize how special what he did was.”

His coaches said that improving health helped Harper’s defense and shooting. According to Dillon, Harper has used his lower half better this season than last season, while dealing with a back injury for most of the 60-game season shortened by the pandemic. Still, Harper hit .268 in lead baseball with 13 home runs, .962 OPS, and 49 walks—a reliable skill reinforced by his keen eye on the plate.

This season, Harper has overcame back pain, a sore left wrist, a hit in the face, and bruising to his left forearm to play in 132 of the Phillies’ 153 games. (Tatis played 120 of the Padres’ 152.)

One of Harper’s biggest areas of improvement over past seasons: his production against off-speed pitches, which, according to Dillon, is proof that Harper is constantly in control with his fierce left-handed hit rather than pushing too hard. Against those pitches that entered Thursday, Harper hit .329 this season—his highest rating since the MVP season.

Against the Orioles on Tuesday, Baltimore Manager Brandon Hyde showed Harper the greatest sign of respect during a game, a move routinely used against the cautious Barry Bonds at his best: Intentionally, on extra innings, running forward. He walked Harper. Realmuto tripled and Harper, who scored first, won 3-2.

Harper has spoken little about her success this season. He said at the end of the season, when he can sit down to look at his numbers to understand how and where he can improve, he will answer any questions about his season. Recently, he has been unavailable for comment as he has adhered to a plan that has worked well for him: preparing for games in closed batting cages rather than traditional field batting practice.

“MVP!” was asked about. While cheering after his four-race win on September 16, Harper said it felt good to get such a reaction from fans, but he’s focused more on the remaining weeks of the regular season.

Throughout the season, he said that no one in his life allowed him to show him his stats—not his wife, Kayla, or his father. his unofficial coach – or Girardi. He said they knew his friends wouldn’t text him about it. He said that if he saw their numbers on a place like Instagram, he would quickly forget them.

“I know this is a little crazy and doesn’t make sense,” Harper said recently. “But I don’t like the MVP speech. I don’t like it when you look at my numbers. I don’t like seeing where I am or where I am in the second half or anything like that. I just want to play my game. I just want to show up every night, make sure I play on the right court, hit the third hit and help this team win.”



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