"Bryce Harper is getting frustrated, it's eating at him" - When ex-Athletics OF sympathized with Nationals star over disappointing performance

Washington Nationals slugger Bryce Harper had a hot start to the 2016 season. Through April, he had already hit nine home runs and drove in 24 runs while sitting with a .406 on-base percentage.

However, he would soon hit a wall and his performance took a nose dive. During an 80-game stretch after April, Harper only hit 11 home runs while driving in 32 runs.

Former Oakland Athletics slugger Eric Byrnes joined Mark DeRosa and the crew at MLB Network to discuss Harper's slump. Byrnes was quick to notice what was going on with the slugger at the plate.

"He's spinning off the baseball and part of it, you have to understand, this is how Bryce Harper hits. He has more torque in that swing.. Those are some of the most quickest and violent hits you've ever seen, but because they are so quick, you got to be careful that he just pulls himself right out of these at-bats," said Byrnes.

However, that is not the only thing that Byrnes noticed. He noticed that Harper's fire seemed to disappear, which was a big part of his game.

"I can see now from what I watched that he's getting frustrated and it's eating at him a little bit and he's not necessarily that same overconfident guy that wants to make baseball fun again because he's frustrated right now" said Byrnes.

Bryce Harper was able to bounce back from a shaky 2016 season

Philadelphia Phillies - Bryce Harper (Photo via IMAGN)

Bryce Harper would finish the 2016 season with the Nationals holding a 1.8 WAR. That was far from the 9.7 WAR he held in 2015 when he won his first MVP, but he was able to bounce back in 2017.

Harper started 111 games in 2017, hitting .319/.413/.595 with 29 home runs and 87 runs batted in. He finished that season with a respectable 4.8 WAR while making his fifth All-Star Game appearance.

Harper's contract with the Nats expired following the 2018 season, and he became a free agent. He then signed a deal with the Philadelphia Phillies where he quickly showed his worth to his new club.

After a few seasons of success in Philadelphia, Harper would go on to earn his second MVP Award in 2021. He now sits tied with Aaron Judge for second-most MVPs by an active player. Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout currently hold the most with three apiece.