Look, $400 million dollars is a lot of money. I get it.
It’s almost unfathomable to believe that one player, especially in Major League Baseball, could be worthy of a contract so enormous that it boggles minds.
But Bryce Harper is different. He’s worthy of the deal, and ownership must make his re-signing the top priority for this franchise going forward.
Washington Nationals’ Bryce Harper bats during the first inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Saturday, July 29, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Tenally)Dion Johnson
Special to the AFRO
Let’s get this out of the way right now: Harper isn’t the best player in the sport – that honor goes to Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout. He may not even be the most valuable player on his own team – that honor could go to reigning Cy Young winner and fan favorite, Max Scherzer, or even power-hitter Daniel Murphy. What Harper is — more so than anyone in the sport — is a face.
Baseball needs a face, a face that reels in the casual fan. His jersey is the one worn on the backs of kids all through the Washington, D.C. region. Harper’s face is the face we all see on Under Armour’s MLB commercial campaigns. He is marketed extremely well with his endorsements and even has his own personal signature, his trademark hair flip after each home run.
Little things like that matter. It’s what kids will emulate. Sure he has issues with his temper at times but that is just one aspect of his character that has made him relatable to millions of fans. Harper is not a machine; he is a fiery competitor who loves to win — at all costs. Who wouldn’t want a player like that to be the face of the franchise, much less the league?
After last year’s lackluster season, people wondered whether Harper was a one-year wonder. He has put those doubts to rest by putting up almost Triple Crown numbers with a .334 average, 27 homers and 79 RBI’s before August. In July alone, even with the All-Star break, Harper has raked at a .407 clip with seven dingers and 21 RBI’s and it doesn’t look like he’s slowing down anytime soon. Despite the end of his National League-leading 19-game hitting streak on July 29, there is nothing anyone has seen from him to believe there will be any slowing down this year or for the upcoming decade of his eventual Hall of Fame career.
Harper is a transcendent talent and those guys just don’t come across too often. Do you remember how Cleveland felt when LeBron James left the Cavs back in 2011? Personally, I would feel the same way if Harper were to leave the Nats. The team has competed for divisional crowns every season since Harper arrived in the majors in 2012. Players like Harper seem to make other players around him achieve more than their skill set would indicate. The greatest of players seemingly have that type of effect through osmosis.
Re-signing Harper would also make Washington a major player in free agency pools for years to come. Even with signing guys such as Max Scherzer and Murphy, the Nats still aren’t mentioned with the big market franchises such as the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, etc. Signing Harper will show everyone that the Nationals are not messing around. It would show that the Nationals are here to stay. And so is Bryce Harper.
