Bleacher Report · Sep 23, 2021
The Post-Hype Version of Bryce Harper Has Quietly Become NL MVP Front-Runner
The Bryce Harper hype started more than a decade ago. The first time I saw him, he was cranking balls out of Blair Field in Long Beach, California, the same park where the Long Beach State Dirtbags play. It's a tough park for power hitters because of the marine layer that gobbles up deep fly balls and stops them in their tracks.
But Harper, not even 16 years old, didn't seem to have any problems hitting balls through the thick ocean air.
A year later, he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Two years later he was drafted by the Washington Nationals first overall and his star continued to rise. Harper was an All-Star and the NL Rookie of the Year at age 19.