Washington Nationals: Analyzing Bryce Harper’s April dominance
By Brian Foley
He loses his swing timing over the season
The injury bug is the main culprit for Harper’s “struggles” as the season progresses, but I have another theory.
His swing is so violent and aggressive that it is easier for him to get out of sorts at the plate. He has a leg kick, his back foot is off the ground, he goes for the fences with every hack. Harper’s timing just becomes a little off, which drags down his performance. But why would he hit well in April and then worse the rest of the season if it’s just about timing? Let’s dive even further into my off-the-wall swing concept.
When I was on the high school golf team, I went to a club pro to iron out my swing a few weeks before my senior season. I had a decent swing to begin with, but after just a couple hours, the pro had my game in a much better place. Early in my golf season, I was scoring as well as I had ever had in practice, and doing just as well in the matches. But as the season wore on, I slowly lost the swing changes from the summer, and my scores suffered. I tried my own quick fixes, but those were just band-aids that didn’t consistently stick. By the end of the year, my scores were noticeably worse as my swing had new holes and bad habits.
Back to Harper: I’m not claiming to know anything about Harper’s swing technique or in-season BP habits. But when he starts the season in April, he is fresh off a productive winter of batting practice with his father. He hits a groove and mashes. But as the season drags on, and little nicks collect on his body, Harper loses his original swing path a bit. And if he suffers a legitimate injury, and tries to play through it or return too quickly, his band-aid fixes become less and less effective.
I’m not a swing doctor. I could say it’s as simple as Harper needs to keep his front side in through his violent swing, but I have no idea. And I’m sure Harper has plenty of swing thoughts swirling throughout the season, from his dad, from hitting coaches, and from teammates. I’m admittedly grasping at straws here, but when we’re talking about why he curiously goes from Babe Ruth in the spring to Carlos Gonzalez in the summer, straws might be our only explanation.