Baseball legends are made in October and Bryce Harper is living up to the hype.
Harper was named the NLCS MVP after batting .400 (8-for-20) with three doubles and two home runs, including one that essentially sent the Phillies to the World Series. He has a 10-game hitting streak and is batting .450 in that span.
Even with that, Harper may not be getting the respect he deserves.
Cody Decker and Tony Gwynn Jr. of the Audacy Original Podcast “Big Time Baseball” talked about Harper’s tremendous postseason and whether the “LeBron James of baseball” is still underrated.
“Bryce Harper is playing a different game right now,” Gwynn Jr. said (4:23 in player above). “He literally won three of the four games in that series by himself against the Padres. And it’s not just that series. He’s literally been hitting damn-near .500 throughout the course of the playoffs at this point.”
Gwynn Jr. saw Harper’s destruction of the Padres firsthand as he was on the call for San Diego’s radio broadcast. It’s hard to not be impressed by the Phillies slugger.
Harper has the most hits (18) in the playoffs and is tied for the most runs (10), home runs (5), RBI (11), and has a 1.351 OPS. Those are eye-popping numbers.
“How can you be a guy who was on the cover of ‘Sports Illustrated’ at 16. A guy that’s won two MVPs,” Decker said. “And a guy that, in this October, completely carried his – well, carried his offense is being a little dramatic because obviously, other guys hit as well. Obviously standout performances from Schwarber, incredible timely home runs from Hoskins. But let’s be real clear, the star of that team this October has been Bryce Harper.
“All these things that we’re saying about Bryce Harper,” Decker continued. “A guy who’s been touted as a child. Is he somehow underrated?”
“I think so,” Gwynn Jr. said. “Think about what we just finished talking about. He was on the cover of ‘Sports Illustrated’ before he finished high school. Before he finished high school. And has pretty much been the LeBron James of baseball in terms of from a very young age and we can very well say that he is underrated.”
“Isn’t that amazing?” Decker said. “This is where we’re at.”
Harper spent the first seven years of his career with the Washington Nationals and despite making the playoffs four times, never made it out of the first round. That all changed this year in Philadelphia thanks in large part to the reigning NL MVP.
He had 16 hits in 19 playoff games with the Nationals and has already eclipsed that mark with 18 hits in 11 games this October.
Harper has been the face of baseball since he was a teenager. He sent his team to the World Series and is batting over .400 in the playoffs. Yet, it may still be fair to say that he is underrated.
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