Washington Nationals: Bryce Harper Is Stealing More Bases

In the middle of a relatively disappointing season at the plate, Washington Nationals superstar Bryce Harper has sought to make more of an impact on the base paths.

Coming into the 2016 season, Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper had a goal of stealing more bases. With just under a month to play in the regular season it’s safe to say that he’s accomplished that goal. According to Jamal Collier of MLB.com, Harper attributes much of his development to help from Nationals first base coach Davey Lopes. Lopes was named first base coach following the 2015 season, and he was well known for his stolen base prowess during a 16-year MLB career.

On Tuesday night Harper reached 20 steals in a season for the first time in his career. He also joined six other players who have reached the 20/20 milestone in 2016. Ian Desmond, Mookie Betts, Paul Goldschmidt, Mike Trout, Wil Myers and Jose Altuve have all racked up at least 20 steals and 20 home runs. Melvin Upton is one home run away from joining this club.

Harper’s improved success on the base paths comes in the midst of a down season by his lofty standards. The 23-year-old is still performing at above a league average rate (121 wRC+), but he’s coming off of a historic MVP season in 2015.

It was going to be almost impossible for Harper to live up to last season’s performance, but he’s currently underperforming most of his career averages. It’s worth noting that he might be experiencing a bit of bad luck this season. Harper’s BABIP of .264 is well below his career mark of .319. It’s a little more concerning to note that his average exit velocity is down to 89.7 mph from 91.4 mph a season ago.

Several suggestions have been offered for Harper’s declining performance. Rob Arther of FiveThirtyEight argues that “the culprit seems to be genuinely diminished power.” In late July, Neil Greenberg of The Washington Post suggested, “Harper’s swing and discipline at the plate is all messed up, and it’s going to take changes in both his mental and physical approach to get him back on track.”

However, there are reasons for optimism regarding Harper’s play moving forward. August was his best offensive month since April. In fact, since August 1 he’s hitting a more Harper-like .311/.397/.515 with three home runs and 20 RBI. The increased performance is an encouraging sign for the Washington Nationals who hold an 8.5-game lead in the NL East. It’s also good news for Harper who is hoping to break the bank when he becomes a free agent in 2019.