Bryce Harper: Tracing the Phillies star's ascent from petulant phenom to dependable playoff performer

Long before Tyrone Woodley shot to UFC stardom as “The Chosen One,” Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper went by the same moniker.

Back in time, Harper was hailed by many as the LeBron James of baseball, due to reasons too obvious. He made the cover of Sports Illustrated when he was only 16. He became the first player in baseball history to be named an All-American in his sophomore year.

A year into his major league career, ESPN made a documentary on his then-fledgling career. Nine years down the line, it’s fair to say that Harper has lived up to every bit of the hype, and more.

Prodigy to MVP - the rise and rise of Bryce Harper

The Washington Nationals made Bryce Harper their first overall selection of the 2010 MLB draft. Although he predominantly played as a catcher, the Nats drafted him as an outfielder to accelerate his development.

Harper was promoted to the major leagues in 2012. Come the end of the campaign, he was named the National League’s Rookie of the Year with 112 votes in his favor.

Harper went on an absolute tear three years later. His 2015 term was a top-5 hitting season (since 1900) for all players under the age of 23, and the best season compiled by any hitter since Barry Bonds in 2004. Quite unsurprisingly, Harper won the NL MVP title.

Phillies come knocking with bumper contract

The Phillies signed Harper to a 13-year, $330 million contract in 2019. At the time, it was the most lucrative deal in MLB history.

His first season was uneventful as the Phillies missed the play-offs. The following year was thoroughly affected by the pandemic. 2021 was when Harper got back to his absolute best, batting .309/.429/.615 with 35 home runs and 84 RBIs in 141 games. He went on to win his second career National League MVP title. He became the second player in major league history to win an MVP crown with two different teams before the age of 30, joining Barry Bonds.

Mr. Dependable

Big players rise to the biggest occasions and Bryce Harper has done just that time and again in his career. He has a batting average of .262 with 27 hits, nine home runs, 17 RBIs and 19 runs in 26 postseason games thus far.

He homered on Tuesday night to help the Phillies to a narrow 2-0 win against the San Diego Padres in their NL Championship Series opener. Game 2 is slated for 4:30 PM ET later today at Petco Park.

"BRYCE HARPER HOME RUN!" - Sports Illustrated

The Phillies may have qualified for the postseason this year as outsiders, but with Mr. Dependable in their ranks firing on all cylinders, it would be foolish not to consider them a serious threat.

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