Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper, who led the majors in on-base percentage and slugging at age 22, was named Thursday the winner of the National League MVP award unanimously.The vote: Harper received 30 of the 30 first-place votes and totaled 420 points to win handily over Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (234 points) and Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto (175 points).
Harper, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 draft and a three-time All-Star before turning 23 in October, showed remarkable maturation as a player in setting career highs in virtually every offensive category. The walks were twice as many as he’d ever drawn, and the home runs represented an improvement of 20 over his previous high mark of 22, set in his rookie of the year season in 2012.Even with Votto racking up 143 walks, the highest total in the majors since 2004, Harper edged him out in OBP at .460. He also had a .649 slugging percentage and a league-high OPS-plus of 195, a figure adjusted for the player’s ballpark.With the Nationals beset by injuries and underachievement, Harper kept them relevant with his exploits while playing in a personal-best 153 games. Only seven previous players, most of them Hall of Famers, have produced a season with numbers that can match Harper’s batting average, home runs, OBP and slugging mark this year.Harper had worthy competitors in Goldschmidt and Votto, but their teams were never in the race and wound up under .500, weakening their cases.Goldschmidt, a top-three finisher in the MVP voting for the second time in three years, was second in the NL with a 1.005 OPS and exuded brilliance in all aspects of the game, batting .321 with 33 homers, 110 RBI and 21 stolen bases. He also earned the Gold Glove for the second time.Votto was an on-base machine (.459 OBP) and delivered his most home runs (29) and RBI (80) since 2011. He had a huge second half, tying Pete Rose’s Reds record by getting on base in 48 consecutive games toward the end of the year.History says: Harper is the first player ever to combine at least 42 homers and 124 walks in one season by age 22. … The top three finishers in the NL MVP race came from teams that didn’t reach the postseason, which had not happened since 1959.The reaction: There would have been a federal investigation if Harper didn’t win, becoming the first Nationals player to earn MVP honors.Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY Sports
Why Harper won: “Baseball’s chosen one,’’ as Sports Illustrated dubbed Harper when he was 16, has lived up to the billing six years later. Finally healthy and armed with a smarter approach at the plate, Harper was the league’s most potent offensive force. He finished second in batting average (.330) and walks (124), tied for the lead in home runs (42) and had the majors’ highest on-base-plus slugging percentage (1.109), all the while driving in 99 runs.
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