Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
It seems like a couple of weeks ago, everyone, including those residing in our nation’s capitol, that most had thrown in the towel on the Washington Nationals. While they still aren’t in prime position for a playoff spot, they’ve found a rhythm recently, and are now starting to gain traction heading into September.
A main reason for that has been the play of Bryce Harper, who has shaken off a year of inconsistency, both health and performance-wise. He’s been terrific for the Nats lately, thanks to some adjustments at the plate, that have him clicking now for the suddenly upstart club.
After a rough month of May, in which he clearly was not healthy (given his wRC+ of 91), Harper missed all of June. He followed that up with a decent July, in which he hit .260 and saw his wRC+ run up to 119. His on-base percentage was 30 points higher than it had been in the previous month.
August, though, is where we’ve seen Harper start to put it all together. With some adjustments at the plate, mostly in terms of his stance, Harper’s numbers are as good as they’ve been at any point this year. His OPS is at .905, the highest it’s been since April, a wRC+ at 154, and an average of .290.
His four home runs are the most he’s hit since before May, when he had nine, and he’s knocked in 16 runs. With a hot Harper, the Nationals have rattled off eight of their last 10, and have worked their way to within 6.5 games of the Wild Card in the National League.
If Harper keeps it, it increases the chances that the Nationals could really pull this thing off. It’s still a long shot, and their probability of making the playoffs isn’t great, but there’s still a whole month to go. A lot can happen in this time, especially when one of the best players in baseball is in the middle of your lineup.
