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Bryce Harper has become one of the of most beloved players in Major League Baseball, however this was not always the case for the 32-year-old from Las Vegas, Nevada. After being declared as the next big baseball superstar when he was a teenager, Harper drew plenty of criticism during his early MLB seasons because of his attitude and firey personality.
During his tenure with the Washington Nationals, Bryce Harper proved why he was selected with the first overall pick in the 2010 MLB Draft. Despite not being able to win a World Series title with the Nationals, Harper earned six All-Star selections, the NL Rookie of the Year Award, and the NL MVP in 2015 as a 22-year-old.
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Unfortunately for Harper, his first MVP season was followed by arguably the worst year of his career. The 2016 campaign was a difficult one for Harper, who still managed to rack up 24 home runs, 86 RBI, and 21 stolen bases for Washington. That being said, it was a sharp decline from the MVP season, however Harper put the rough year behind him as came into 2017.
“It's more of an emotional roller coaster for you guys than it is for me. I enjoy what I do. I'm 24 years old, living my dream every single day. I enjoy playing in the city of D.C., I enjoy going back home and enjoying my family in the offseason," Harper said in a 2017 press conference
Not only did Bryce Harper struggle during the regular season by his standards, but in the postseason as well. In 2016, the Nationals finished first in the NL East with an impressive 95-67 record, but they were defeated 3-2 in the NLDS by the Los Angeles Dodgers with Harper posting a .235 batting average and no home runs. Despite the early exit, Bryce Harper remained unbothered heading into 2017.
I was able to marry my beautiful bride this offseason as well. So everybody that said I was worried about baseball this offseason, I couldn’t care less," Harper continued.
Bryce Harper has seen his image change since joining the Philadelphia Phillies
Even though Harper was one of the best players in Major League Baseball during his tenure with the Nationals, the superstar had plenty of detractors because of his attitude. That being said, the two-time MVP has seen his image improve since moving to the Philadelphia Phillies ahead of the 2019 season.
This is an sentiment shared by Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Inquirer who noted that Harper had shown plenty of signs of maturity, adding that Harper was "less interested in the extracurricular stuff. He's less emotional." It will be interesting to see if the future Hall of Famer will finally secure his first World Series title this season.
