Philadelphia Phillies: Bryce Harper picking up right where he left off
By David Esser
Prior to last night’s commanding 12-2 win over the Atlanta Braves, Bryce Harper wasn’t having himself the best of weeks. The Philadelphia Phillies‘ superstar outfielder had missed time due to a 97 MPH fastball that struck him in the face, and then upon his return, suffered a wrist injury which sidelined him once more.
Over a stretch of eight games since the initial face injury, Harper was inactive in seven of them.
While the Phillies were ultimately able to hold down the fort during Harper’s absence (they completed a four-game sweep over the Milwaukee Brewers this past week), getting their best player back is obviously something the team was looking forward to. Through the first month of the 2021 season, Harper has been performing like a legitimate MVP candidate, and it doesn’t look like he’s slowing down in the slightest.
Harper went 2-5 last night with two runs scored and a walk, adding another double to his stat line as well. Harper entered yesterday’s game with a .317 batting average and a 1.043 OPS – he left with a .322 average and a 1.046 OPS.
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Currently speaking, Harper has the sixth highest OPS in Major League Baseball and the third highest in the National League. He trails just Ronald Acuna Jr. and Kris Bryant in the NL in terms of OPS, however he does have a higher batting average and on-base percentage than both players.
Harper leads the NL in terms of OBP (.449), trailing only Mike Trout and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. when it comes to the major leagues as a whole.
Injuries withstanding, Bryce Harper’s MVP caliber season for the Philadelphia Phillies keeps on chugging along.
It hasn’t been the most stress-free of starts for Bryce Harper this season, and that’s probably an understatement. He’s already suffered two injuries, and he’s still battling with some lower back tightness/soreness lingering over from the 2020 campaign.
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However, thus far, he’s done a rather excellent job of battling through all of his physical ailments – still finding ways of producing when at the plate. If Harper is able to keep his 300+ batting average intact by the time the All-Star game rolls around, one can only assume that the $330 million star outfielder will be able to crack his first ASG as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies.