Philadelphia Phillies: 3 reasons Bryce Harper is a legit MVP candidate
By David Esser
Loaded lineup around him.
One of the big reasons Harper was so successful pre-injury last season was due to the pieces around him, as he was bracketed by a handful of elite hitters in the Philadelphia Phillies lineup.
Andrew McCutchen and Rhys Hoskins ahead of him, J.T. Realmuto and Didi Gregorius behind him. Throw in Alec Bohm for a full 162-game season, and you’re looking at a gauntlet of borderline elite hitters that’ll force teams to pitch to Harper more frequently.
As great as Harper’s ability to draw walks is at times, him driving in a high number of runs is what will ultimately earn him the most amount of MVP consideration. Such a loaded top of the lineup should provide the superstar outfielder with a plethora of opportunities to do just that.
McCutchen in particular – the Phillies leadoff hitter – has shown up to Spring Training in far better physical condition this spring. Having Cutch work long at-bats at the top of the order, ideally resulting in walks, puts that much more pressure on opposing pitchers to actually throw strikes to Harper.
As much as MVPs are individual awards, they very frequently reflect team success at the end of the day. Freddie Freeman was helped out a ton last year by a loaded Braves offense, and the same can be said about Cody Bellinger in 2019. As long as everyone stays healthy this season, Harper should experience a similar result in 2021.