Bryce Harper Will Eventually Become A Quintessential Leader For The Washington Nationals

The 2015 season went down as a failure for the Washington Nationals, but outfielder Bryce Harper had an MVP season with a .330/.460/.649 slash-line, 42 home runs, 99 RBI, 38 doubles and 118 runs scored. At the age of 23, the 2010 No. 1 overall pick also has a Rookie of the Year Award on his resume, so expectations will not be going away anytime soon.

Despite probably being the most talented player on the Nationals, Harper does not necessarily view himself as an automatic team leader.

Via the Washington Post:

“I don’t think I’m a leader,” Harper said Monday. “I think I’m more just a guy playing the game. I think [Jayson Werth] and [Ryan Zimmerman] and all those guys are the leaders. I’m still at that stage of where I’m still looking at J-Dub, I’m still looking at Zim to do everything they can to make the best for this team. Then play as hard as I can out there and lead by example.”

Harper’s comments have opened up an opportunity to criticize him, with the idea that he sees himself as “just a guy” serving as the lightning rod statement. But his sentiment that Jayson Werth and Ryan Zimmerman are the veteran leaders for Washington right now is not wrong, and new manager Dusty Baker has backed that up with the notion that putting a leadership burden on Harper is not fair.

Players lead in different ways. Some use words and actions off the field primarily, possibly driven by being at a less productive stage in a career, while others let their on-field effort and production set an example. Harper is in the latter category right now, and I expect he will implement more of the former approach down the road, as veterans like Werth and Zimmerman move out of the Nationals’ clubhouse.

If Harper is making similar comments about not considering himself a leader a few years from now, and the Nationals continue to underachieve, then there will be a conversation worth having regarding leadership and his willingness to embrace it. But right now, indicting Harper for being honest about what he sees as his role is foolish.