Washington Nationals: Reflecting on the career of Bryce Harper

Washington Nationals star Bryce Harper turned 25 on Monday. We take a look at what he has already accomplished in his young career.

Washington Nationals phenom Bryce Harper is not one to shy away from the spotlight. Perhaps this is because he began receiving national attention after gracing the cover of Sports Illustrated as a 16-year-old. Perhaps this is because he has that “clutch gene”.

Whatever the reason, it has led to him becoming one of the most nationally well-known players of all-time.

At the age of 17, Harper earned his GED and dropped out of high school. From there, he played college baseball at the College of Southern Nevada, where he swung a wood bat and proved to major league scouts that he could rake, regardless of bat material.

After dominating at the College of Southern Nevada, Harper went on to become arguably the most undisputed first overall draft pick in 2010. Upon signing with the Nationals, Harper did not spend much time in the minor leagues, making his debut in April of 2012 at just 19 years old.

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As a 17-year-old first overall draft pick and a 19-year-old big leaguer, Harper was in uncharted territory. With this came immense pressure and attention, especially for a 19-year-old, but Harper handled it flawlessly.

In his debut season, Harper owned a slash line of .270/.340/.477 with 22 homers, 98 runs scored, and 18 stolen bases.

Flash forward to 2015, his age-22 season, and he had one of the most impressive individual seasons of all-time. He owned a slash line of .330/.460/.649 to go with 42 homers, 118 runs scored, 99 RBI’s, and a unanimous MVP Award.

Now, Harper has played six big-league seasons, owning a slash line of .285/.386/.515 with 150 homers, 421 RBI’s, and 507 runs scored, and he just turned 25. That is absolutely unprecedented. Yankees slugger Aaron Judge had a tremendous rookie season this year, but played nearly the entire season as a 25-year-old. Harper has yet to play a game at 25.

Through his six big-league seasons, Harper has also collected numerous accolades. He is a five-time All-Star, an MVP Award winner, a Silver Slugger Award winner, a Hank Aaron Award winner, an NL home run leader, and a Rookie of the Year Award winner.

Harper has accomplished all of this and has not yet stepped on the field as a 25-year-old. That is outstanding.

Now, Harper, a generational talent, enters his final season under contract. A year from now, he could potentially hit the open market as a 26-year-old, just entering his prime. People have long been anticipating his free agency, and he is projected to demand $400-500 million.

With this contract, Harper will be expected to be the face of a franchise for what will likely be a decade. It may seem unrealistic, but someone will pay him. Oh, someone will pay him. Whether, it’s the Nats, Yankees, Dodgers, Cubs, or a mystery team, he will get his money.

Next: Our conversation with the Washington Post's Tom Boswell

At 25 years old, Harper is already among the most decorated players of all-time. He is also entering what will likely be one of the most anticipated and talked about seasons of all-time. While Bryce Harper has accomplished an enormous amount in his young career, take note of his former walkup song and know that “the best is yet to come”.

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