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Washington Nationals Reaction: Three Takeaways from Sunday’s Wild Win

By Matt Weyrich

Apr 24, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals center fielder Chris Heisey (14) gets a bucket of Gatorade dumped on him by teammates after hitting a walk-off home run against the Minnesota Twins in the sixteenth inning at Nationals Park. The National won 5-4 in sixteen innings. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 24, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals center fielder Chris Heisey (14) gets a bucket of Gatorade dumped on him by teammates after hitting a walk-off home run against the Minnesota Twins in the sixteenth inning at Nationals Park. The National won 5-4 in sixteen innings. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 24, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper (34) tips his bat after hitting a pinch-hit game-tying home run against the Minnesota Twins in the bottom of the ninth inning at Nationals Park. The Nationals won 5-4 in sixteen innings. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

Bryce Harper Just Isn’t Human

Okay, maybe the most plausible explanation for the simply unreal feats reigning MVP Bryce Harper has been able to accomplish at the plate isn’t assuming he’s from some other planet. But do you have a better one? The 23-year old phenom is a living legend. It seems like every time he steps in the batter’s box, he has a chance to do something special.

Harper currently leads all of baseball in home runs (nine), runs batted in (23), extra base hits (15), slugging percentage (.855), and OPS (1.260). He has as many strikeouts as he does homers, and has yet to ground into a double play. Not many believed that Harper could get much better after his record-setting season in 2015, but he’s doing just that.

Even on his day off, Harper still managed to shine, sending a 3-2 fastball over the center field fence in the bottom of the ninth as a pinch-hitter to tie the game. As teammate Chris Heisey put it after yesterday’s win, people are beginning to just expect the unexpected out of him.

"“We come to expect that he’s going to do something special. You can’t not expect it when he’s been doing it as consistently as he’s been doing it. I find myself putting really unfair expectations on him. If he gets jammed or pops out, it’s like: ‘What the heck, Harp?’” (h/t How the Nats won “the craziest” game they’d ever seen, Mark Zuckerman, MASNSports.com)"

Bryce Harper is the best player in the game right now, so move over Mike Trout. The face of baseball is only getting better, and if that isn’t scary enough for you, just think about what kind of numbers he’ll be putting up once he hits his prime.

Next: Most Underrated Move of the Offseason

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