For a guy who compiled one of the most impressive dossiers ever for a young position player, Bryce Harper drew plenty of ire during his first three MLB seasons. Some called him arrogant and overhyped, an affront to Baseball's Unwritten Rules. Others wondered whether his reckless, run-through-the-wall style would cut his career short. Harper also had the misfortune of debuting around the same time as Mike Trout, who conjures up memories of Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle and Ty Cobb. By comparison, Harper looked like an underachieving sibling.
In 2015, though, Harper has met -- and exceeded -- the expectations created back when he was a teenaged, Sports Illustrated cover boy punching holes in the Tropicana Field dome during home run derbies. By strengthening his plate discipline, lofting pitches more often and covering the outside portion of the zone, Harper has boosted his OPS+ to an MLB-best 222 (122% above average). The only players to ever post a better single-season OPS+ while taking at least 250 trips to the plate? Barry Bonds, Ted Williams and Babe Ruth.
Harper's the leading candidate for NL MVP as we approach the All-Star break, and if he takes home the hardware, he would become the fourth-youngest player ever to do so (behind Vida Blue, Johnny Bench and Stan Musial). Is he better than Trout? Maybe, maybe not. But thanks to Harper's breakout 2015, baseball's greatest barstool debate rages on.
