When he left, the narrative around the Nationals was how the team would replace Harper’s bat in the lineup. 1 overall pick and 2015 NL MVP, signed a 13-year, $330 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies one year ago Friday. for one year but in many ways have similar career trajectories: Bryce Harper and Juan Soto. Those three sentences could refer to either of two players who only overlapped in D.C. He announced his presence with authority, making him an easy choice for one of the top up-and-coming players in the game. Washington would make the playoffs in one of his first two seasons, with the young lefty receiving the chance to showcase his skills in front of a national audience. Throw in his better defensive metrics and Soto stands out.A teenage outfielder made his debut for the Nationals, recording an extra-base hit in his first career start in what proved to be only the beginning for a player who’d be voted among the best rookies in his class. It is hard to argue with Harper’s power numbers, but mix in the fact that Soto had a slight edge in plate discipline (walked more, struck out less) in addition to his absurd ability to reach base and Soto was the better overall hitter. Despite Harper’s monstrous 60 second half, he was unable to lead them to the finish line. Baseball is the hardest sport for a player to carry a team to the playoffs and it is virtually impossible. The main argument for Harper is that the Phillies played more meaningful games, having barely missed the playoffs. Ripken’s Orioles went 67-95 when he won his second award in 1991. Two of the three times Trout won AL MVP, the Angles had a losing record (2016, 2019). Mike Trout and Cal Ripken Jr come to mind. Multiple players over the years have won MVP despite their team having a losing record. The Nats only winning 65 games shouldn’t be a factor either. He had virtually no protection and still found ways to thrive. Instead, it should be noted that Juan Soto thrived despite the team starting a rebuild and stripping down the roster. The Nationals waved the white flag at the trade deadline and came nowhere close to sniffing the playoffs, but that shouldn’t be held against him. He posted a second-half OPS of 1.188 while the rest of his teammates posted a COMBINED. It cannot be understated that Harper received virtually no help offensively. While most are going to be primarily looking at the offensive numbers, Soto proved he was the better overall player. Harper on the other hand had 10 outfield assists, -6 DRS, a 1.9 UZR, and -6 OOA. He had five outfield assists, 3 DRS, a 2.2 UZR, and 4 outs above average (OOA). It wasn’t just at the plate that Soto was able to hold his own over his ex-teammate. Let’s break down those 322 trips for you:Reached base (via hit, walk, HBP): 169 timesForgot to reach base: 153 times" So it was his second half where he really began making us historians pay attention.After the All-Star break, Soto came to the plate 322 times. Soto’s OBP still started with a “3” as late as July 6 - which was 74 games into his season. "But here’s what makes that especially ridiculous. Jayson Stark of The Athletic broke down the NL MVP race and had this to say about Soto’s ability to reach base. Despite being third in all of baseball in walks, Harper had 45 less than Soto. Soto on the other hand thrived at getting on base, leading MLB in OBP (Harper was second) and walks. Yes, Harper had a slight edge in the power department, leading MLB in wRC+ (Soto was third), SLG, and OPS (Soto was third). (Soto is Player A and Harper is Player B).īA HR RBIs OBP SLG OPS BB SO bWAR fWAR wRC+Ī. Below are the duos stats and Soto has the edge in multiple categories.
Harper is seen by many as the slight favorite and the announcement that Phillies legend Mike Schmidt will be virtually presenting the award all but guarantees it. was also named a finalist and while he had an excellent season, he was nowhere near the others. Otherwise known as the old and new face of the franchise.įernando Tatis Jr. The NL race on the other hand is a coin toss between Bryce Harper and Juan Soto. Tonight the MLB MVP awards will be announced with Shohei Ohtani the likely winner in the AL. The two Nationals legends go head to head for NL MVP.
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