Philadelphia Phillies: Bryce Harper bashes his way to MVP glory

Let’s cut to the chase. Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Bryce Harper is the 2021 National League MVP. Despite not compiling too many league-leading numbers, Harper had the benefit of percentages on his side.

Harper led the league with a .615 slugging percentage and 1.044 OPS. While an 84 RBI season from a middle-of-the-order guy might not exactly leap out to anyone as MVP-caliber, Harper was right there among many of the league leaders in multiple numbers.

His league-best 42 doubles set a new personal best with his 35 home runs matching what he did in year one with the Phillies back in 2019. The major difference: his batting average was 49 points higher and his OBP went from .372 to .429.

The  Philadelphia Phillies needed some good awards news this week

The MLB Awards season ends with the announcement of the MVP. Leading up to it, we find out where people excelled in other areas.

This week has been a little rough on the Phillies. A few days ago, we learned that former Phillies’ skipper Gabe Kapler won Manager of the Year out in San Francisco with the Giants. A celebratory coconut oil bath was surely had.

More recently, pitcher Zack Wheeler finished second in the Cy Young vote despite a league-best 7.6 WAR, 213.1 innings, and 247 strikeouts. He tied the winner, Corbin Burnes of the Milwaukee Brewers, with 12 of the first-place votes. Unfortunately, Burnes had a higher share thus the victor in this area.

Leading up to this announcement, I figured Harper might suffer the same fate. Missing the playoffs can hurt a guy seeking out an individual award. For sure, I thought the story would be “Phillies miss the postseason so Bryce Harper misses on the MVP.” The Phillies would go 0 for 3 in this week’s major awards with a loss coming from snubs to Wheeler and Harper along with a victory for the exiled Kapler.

Surprisingly, the results weren’t even all that close. Harper received 17 first-place votes and run away with 348 points to runner-up Juan Soto’s 274.

Reminiscent of Jimmy Rollins back in 2007, Harper does it without an All-Star selection this year. And you may remember what happened the year after Rollins won his MVP. Keep your October 2022 schedule clear, Phillies fans.