For the 20th anniversary series, we will take a look back at when a 22 year old Bryce Harper had a season for the ages
While Bryce Harper is a polarizing figure in DC these days, you can’t tell the story of the Washington Nationals without him. He was a generational talent the Nats got their hands on. Bryce was on the cover of Sports Illustrated at 16 years old, being labeled the chosen one. In 2015, the mega talent put it all together and had a season for the ages.
Heading into 2015, there were questions being asked of Bryce Harper and just how good he was. While he had been a very good player in his first three seasons, he had yet to take his game to the next level. He was being labeled as an overrated player, who was good, but not quite what he was hyped up to be. In 2014, he had an injury riddled campaign, where he posted career lows across the board.
In 2015, everything changed. He became the player everyone wanted him to become. Harper put up video game type numbers, with a .330/.460/.649 slash line, with 42 home runs, 99 RBIS and a 1.109 OPS.
Everything Bryce touched turned to gold. He was doing everything he could to carry a feeble Nats offense. In fact, he was the only player on the team to post an OPS over .800. Guys like Wilson Ramos, Anthony Rendon, Jayson Werth, and Ian Desmond were all having massive down years. Bryce and a strong pitching staff were the only reason the Nats were even close to a playoff spot.
In the end, an anemic offense outside of Harper and the awful vibes of Jonathan Papelbon were too much to overcome. The Nats would finish 83-79 that season, missing the playoffs and costing Matt Williams his job. This shouldn’t diminish Harper’s season, he still put up 9.7 WAR and was the only reason the team was above .500.
Harper put together one of the best offensive seasons in the last 20 years while having no protection in the lineup. He also had to deal with an insane closer that tried to choke him. That 2015 season was a chaotic one for the Nationals, but none of it bothered Bryce. He showed a remarkable consistency, posting an ops over .900 every single month. Harper was the unanimous MVP, with his remarkable season leaving no doubt.
Even since Juan Soto has left, there has been a serious lack of star power in DC. In the 2010’s, the Nationals never had a shortage of star power, and Harper was the brightest light. His big personality made him a lightning rod and made people watch Nationals baseball. Hopefully guys like Dylan Crews and James Wood can fill that void some day.
While Bryce Harper is hated by many in DC because of his departure to the division rival Phillies, his time with the Nats shouldn’t be undersold. So many kids in DC wanted to grow up to be like Bryce. Watching him in a Nationals uniform was truly a blessing. While it didn’t end well, I think the good times should be remembered as well. In my many years as a Nationals fan, I never saw a season as dominant as Bryce Harper’s 2015 campaign.