Quote:
Originally Posted by ClementeFanOh
Bill- the term "overrated" combines things players can and cannot control. It doesn't matter if I "like" Bryce Harper or not, the fact is his former team won the Series the very year after he left- if that's not a "hello" fact, I don't know what is... Although I admit I don't follow him closely, I'd bet old Bryce is a "master of the meaningless homerun" as well ( a la Adam Dunn, who was good for hitting dingers when his team was up by 8 or down by 8). The combo of press+talent+ his ego should translate to Harper setting the world on fire- and a 265 average isn't doing it. He is the very definition of overrated- he's paid way too much and produces too little, while his teams wallow.
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The fact that his team won the World Series the year after he left is interesting. I certainly wouldn't call that a "hello" fact. There's nothing "factual" about it, besides that it happened. I would put their World Series win more on the fact that their two starting pitching studs were absolutely dominant in the post season, than anything to do with Harper's departure.
Strasburg was 5-0 in 6 games (5 starts), with a 1.98 ERA and 47 Ks in 36 1/3 IP.
Scherzer was 3-0 in 6 games (5 starts), with a 2.40 ERA and 37 Ks in 30 IP.
When your top two starters are a combined 8-0 in the playoffs, you'll be almost impossible to beat.
Oh, and besides those two dominant starting pitchers, the Nationals
offense hit 231 home runs, ranked first in the National League in AVG, OBP, third in SLG, and second in OPS. So, they hit a little.
As far as Harper goes.
First...batting average? Did I slip through a wormhole back to the year 1985? The guy gets on base. He walks like crazy, and has ridiculous power potential. Give me a guy that has a .400 OBP and hits the ball out of the park. But just a FYI, he's not a .265 hitter. He's a lifetime .276 hitter, and a .278 hitter the last five years.
And, next time you're going to make an assumption...don't. Actually look it up, because it's not hard to do.
Last year, with runners in scoring position (RISP), Harper hit .357 with 10 HR and 75 RBI...in only 126 at bats. As I stated in my last post, Harper's 1.149 OPS (.459 OBP/.690 SLG) with RISP is the highest by a Phillies player since Mike Schmidt in 1981.
With any men on base, he hit .331 with 20 HR, 99 RBI in 254 AB. He slashed .422 OBP/.665 SLG/1.087 OPS.
So, 20 of his 35 home runs came with men on base. Those are all elite numbers.
He produces too little? What part of a 1.149 OPS with men in scoring position leads you to believe that? Harper was 8th in the NL with 114 RBI-a career high, a year after he recorded 100 RBI for the first time.
Oh, and by the way, the last five years? Harper's 144 OPS+ is the fifth best in baseball (minimum 2,000 AB)
1. Mike Trout 183
2. J.D. Martinez 152
3. Nelson Cruz 151
4. Joey Votto 146
5. Bryce Harper 144 (tied with Freddie Freeman)
If I eliminate the extremes of his MVP 2015 season, and his down 2016, his 136 OPS+ is still tenth in baseball.
He's an elite hitter, any way you care to cut it. The guy walks like crazy.
The last five seasons, most walks in baseball:
1. Joey Votto 569
2. Mike Trout 534
3. Bryce Harper 529
The last five seasons, highest SLG In baseball (min. 2,000 AB):
1. Mike Trout .605
2. J.D. Martinez .585
3. Nolan Arenado .575
9. Bryce Harper .535
And three of the guys ahead of him, Freddie Freeman and Trevor Story (.537) and Charlie Blackmon (.536) are within 2 points. Oh, and Blackmon and Story both play at Coors Field. As does Nolan Arenado. When you consider their SLG splits, Harper's a top 5-6 slugger in baseball the last five seasons.
Bryce Harper is a top 5 offensive player in baseball the last half decade. The last three seasons, he's easily top ten. Is he paid too much? Aren't they all?
So, no, he doesn't produce too little. That's a patently false statement. And "his teams wallow"? You know there are 40 players on a playoff roster, right? Unlike other sports, a hitter only comes to the plate again after 8 others have taken their cuts. Harper can't take 50 shots a game like Kobe Bryant or James Harden. He can't throw the ball 50 times like Drew Brees, or take slap shots from all over the ice like Alex Ovechkin. That's part of the beauty of baseball. I'm not sure how much you think one position player can impact a team's overall win loss.
Let's look at his recent teams.
2019 Phillies 81-81. The pitching staff was 11th of 15 in NL ERA. Not sure what Harper could have done there.
2018 Nats 82-80. They clearly underachieved. Not all on Harper. Pythagorean W-L was 92-70. 771 runs scored, 682 runs allowed.
2017 Nats 97-65 Lost the NLDS 3-2 to the Cubs
2016 Nats 95-67 Lost the NLDS 3-2 to the Dodgers
I would hardly call his teams "wallowers". Last year's Phillies team was pretty much rebuilt. Reamulto, Harper, Segura and McCutchen were all brought in. Some teams need time to adjust. The '18 Nats underperformed. The 2016 and 2017 were among the best teams in baseball.
Again, factually inaccurate.
Any other generalizations and assumptions you want disproven?