He goes by many names: Bam-bam, Harp, Big Kid, and Bryce Harper. He is the man, who earlier in his career, some believed to be a better all around player than Mike Trout (the greatest player on the planet).
So what's wrong with him?
Generational talent.
A beast who signed a 13 year $330 million dollar contract with the Philadelphia Phillies this past offseason. The 26-year-old has an incredible resume: a Rookie of the Year winner, an MVP award, a 6-time all star, and a Home Run Champion trophy. He's no joke.
And yet this year he is hitting a mere slash line of .227/.355/.438 with an OPS of .793 and leads the National League in strikeouts. Worse still is that over the past two years his slash line is .243/.383/.481. To his credit, Harper had a big second half last season with the Nationals and posted great numbers but so far in a Phillies uniform he just hasn't lived up to the hype.
He's currently posting a pedestrian 0.5 oWAR, while fellow Philly outfielder, Andrew McCutchen has a 1.2 oWAR.
Harper told a reporter earlier this month that, "If I can cut down on swinging on pitches out of the zone, get on base for the guys behind me, then I'll be successful."
Interestingly enough, his chase rate is significantly down this year compared to past seasons.
What's next? Harper is a Hall-Of-Fame caliber outfielder that's only 26 years of age, he has plenty of time to figure his swing out. He still is a very effective and dangerous hitter as over the last two years, he averages 33 home runs and 103 RBIS over a full season. The issue is in his decreased ability to hit for average and get on base via walks, as well as his increased strikeout rate. Recently, the 6x All Star has been unlucky and has been hitting the wrong pitches. He'll find himself again and when he does, he will terrorize National League pitchers for years to come.
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