Washington Nationals: Analyzing Bryce Harper’s April dominance

He is at his healthiest in April

While he has toned down his recklessness now that he is a sage vet at 25-years-old, Harper is still known for his violent play. He crashes into outfield walls, swings out of his shoes, and barrels into fielders on the base paths. That’s all well and good, because it’s nice to see your star play with passion, but it also leaves him vulnerable to serious injuries, let alone the regular bumps and bruises.

And we have seen the injuries take their toll on Harper over the years. In 2013, Harper missed all of June after he collided with an outfield wall in Los Angeles. He was not the same player when he returned, and posted an OPS 200 points worse following the injury than he did prior to going down.

In 2014, Harper tore a thumb ligament sliding headfirst into third base. He missed two months and posted just a .766 OPS after he returned. He managed to stay healthy during his historic 2015 MVP campaign, but the injury bug bit him again in 2016. He played the entire season, but seemed to fight through injury, which he vaguely discussed the following spring training. Harper once again got injured in 2017, causing him to miss most of August and September (though this injury doesn’t explain his uneven month-to-month numbers for the first four-and-a-half months).

So, he gets hurt a lot. And when he doesn’t get hurt, he wins the MVP. It’s not quite that simple, but in the end, it kind of is. Harper is such a special talent that when he is at full strength, what he can do at the plate is unrivaled. He is always healthy in April and wreaks havoc across the league, but he has rarely been able to avoid any serious issues over the long season.