Is this the real Bryce Harper?

Bryce Harper graced the cover of Sports Illustrated at the age of 16. At age 17, he was the first overall pick in the MLB draft. The hype had already started. His name was already being hyped up with all the legends. Some even mentioned the words “greatest ever” without stepping into the box against a Major League ace. And once it happened, everyone was shocked. Harper struggled mightily in his first few years in the league. Even though he was a two time all star by the time he was 21, and won Rookie of the Year, he didn’t come close to living up to the hype. Harper was hitting around .270 with 16 home runs and 43 RBI his first three years.

Now he’s hitting .333 with 15 home runs and 38 RBI. He’s basically already surpassed his numbers from previous years and it’s only a quarter of the way through the MLB season. Harper is pulling the ball and also making hard contact on about 51% of the balls he hits. He is becoming a power hitter that you can’t get out at the plate and is already an athletic freak. He is walking more and see more pitches. His first three years, he was at the top of the list for strikeouts as a hitter, but this year he is barely striking out. This is a totally different Bryce Harper. This is the Bryce Harper we all expected. He has been on a tear this last month at the plate, at one point hitting 5 home runs in just 3 games. Opposing pitchers should fear Bryce Harper. Bryce Harper is living up to the expectation and hype, but the ceiling is even higher for Bryce. It’s scary to think he can get better. How much better? No one really knows. But one thing we do know, Bryce Harper has arrived and he’s here to stay.