Washington Nationals: Creating the ultimate superstar
By Brian Foley
Power: Bryce Harper
With the home run boom taking baseball by storm in 2017, slugging is no longer an asset – it is essentially a prerequisite. No one provides more power on the Nationals than superstar Bryce Harper, who is ninth in the majors in isolated power (ISO) and 13th in home runs since the start of the 2015 season.
As a lefty, Harper clearly has most of his power to right field, but he is more than capable of driving the ball the other way as well. In 2017, 12 of his 27 doubles were to left or center field, as were 8 of his 29 home runs. Watch Harper take Darren O’Day out to left field:
Harper manages to stay on a fastball at the top of the zone, and instead of rolling over it to the right side, he torches it five rows into the bleachers the other way. That type of power is incredibly rare. And on the off-chance a pitcher attempts to bust Harper inside to avoid the opposite field power, he’ll simply turn on it and do this:
If you want elite power, I’d recommend getting it from the man who is just 10 months from a record-breaking deal.