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There is no question that Washington Nationals OF Bryce Harper is one of the most electric players in all of fantasy baseball. He has been a cult hero since he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated as high school kid and he has quickly become a fantasy baseball superstar.
On Opening Day last year against the Miami Marlins, Harper went absolutely off the chains. The young outfielder finished 2-4 with two home runs, both of which were solo shots.
It was a huge statement game for the sophomore and quickly proved to the rest of the major leagues that he deserves to be the face of the Nats. Harper finished the month of April with a ridiculous .430 batting average. He also clubbed nine home runs with 18 RBIs and 18 runs.
Unfortunately, the popular slugger hit only 11 homers in the final four months he played in 2013. He showed that he is not impervious to the occasional slumps and his reckless style of play plagued the All-Star with injuries down the stretch.
Harper dealt with knee and hip injuries last season and he ended up missing 44 games. He severely injured his knee running into the outfield wall in April, and then again in May. He had surgery on the knee this off-season and admitted that it was much worse than he led on last season.
The former Las Vegas High School sensation has been rehabbing very hard this winter, though, and he has looked very strong this spring. He has built up his weight in hopes of staying healthy down the stretch and the 21-year-old is in the best shape of his life. Don’t expect injuries to slow Harper down much this season at all.
All signs are pointing towards Harper posting career fantasy numbers across the board in 2014 and he will start his career campaign on Opening Day.
Adam McGill is the Senior Fantasy Sports Writer at Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @adammcgill83, like him on Facebook, or add him to you networks on Google here or here.
