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Washington Nationals (and NL) Player of the Week: Bryce Harper

By Pablo Roa

Apr 17, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper (34) signs autographs for fans before a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 17, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper (34) signs autographs for fans before a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /
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After a monster week highlighted by his 100th career home run, Washington Nationals’ outfielder Bryce Harper was named the NL Co-Player of the Week today.

The second week of the season was one of the best the Washington Nationals have had in their history. The team went 6-1, stretched their early (and meaningless) lead in the NL East to four games, and they improved their record to a major league-best 9-2.

As good as the week was for the Nationals, it was even better for outfielder Bryce Harper. Coming off an MVP season, Harper has picked up exactly where he left off last season. He homered in the first two games of the season, and last week he homered in four straight games.

All in all, Harper slashed .346/.400/.846 with 12 RBIs last week. While Harper brought heroics to almost every game, the highlight of his impressive week was undoubtedly his 100th home run — a go-ahead grand slam in a win over the Braves last Thursday.

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The homer kicked off a streak of power for Harper, who homered in each of the next three games. Harper now has six home runs in 11 games this season, which is tied for the second most in the National League.

Harper’s heroics not only give him the distinction of having the best week of any player on the team, but it also earned him NL Player of the Week honors. Harper earned the distinction along with Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado.

For the Nationals, Harper was the player that stood out the most last week, but he wasn’t the only one who turned heads in the second week of the season.

Daniel Murphy continued his torrid start to the season, bringing his batting average up to a lead-leading .432. Catcher Wilson Ramos also had a great week. Ramos had three multi-hit games last week, culminating in a 4-for-4 performance April 11 against the Braves.

The Nationals saw their six-game winning streak come to an end yesterday in Philadelphia, but the team is still clicking on all cylinders. Hopefully for the Nationals, players can carry their impressive performances from last week into this week.

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