Washington Nationals superstar Bryce Harper has gotten off to a fantastic start in 2018. It has resembled his 2015 MVP campaign, but what do the numbers say?
The Washington Nationals have gotten off to a tremendous start in 2018, beginning the year 4-1. Although it has been a collective team effort, Bryce Harper has been absolutely locked in.
The 25-year-old superstar was expected to have a big year with his possible free agency looming, but he has already set the bar incredibly high for his contract year.
Through five games, Harper has slashed .400/.542/1.200 with four homers, nine RBI, seven runs scored, and seven walks. He reached base in eight consecutive plate appearances at one point, including three homers and five walks, falling just short of Nick Johnson‘s team record for consecutive plate appearances reaching base.
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Harper has put together a solid career thus far, but 2015 was far and away his best season. He was unanimously named the National League’s Most Valuable Player at age-22, highlighting what was one of the best individual seasons of all-time.
2015 may not be repeatable, for Harper or anyone else, but he is showing shades of his historic campaign.
In 2015, Harper slashed .330/.460/.649 with 42 homers, 99 RBI, 118 runs scored, and 124 walks. This would have been an incredible season for anyone, but especially a 22-year-old.
Although Harper had a historic season in 2015, it did not get off to a great start. Through his first five games, he slashed .278/.381/.444 with one homer, three walks, and nine strikeouts. This was a fine start, but nobody could have predicted what was to come.
So far in 2018, Harper’s batting average is 122 points higher than it was through his first five games in 2015, he has three more homers, eight more RBI, six more runs scored, two more walks, and most impressively, he has not yet struck out.
In order to repeat his 2015 performance, Harper must remain healthy. He played in 153 games in 2015, which was non-coincidentally the most of his career.
Injuries have been an issue for Harper, but he can produce another historic season if he is healthy in 2018. He was on pace to win his second MVP award last year, before a knee injury forced him to miss over a month.
The early results in 2018 are outstanding. Although his torrid start is unsustainable, Harper may produce a career year.
Next: A.J. Cole roughed up in first loss of 2018
Harper’s 2015 season appeared to be one-of-a-kind, but if anyone is going to repeat it, it is Harper himself.