Bryce Harper was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 MLB Draft. It only took four seasons for him to win baseball's Most Valuable Player Award.
The Baseball Writers Association of America selected Harper as the NL MVP in a unanimous vote. Harper received all 30 first-place votes and Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman received 18 second-place votes as the runner-up. Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto came in third.
.@Bharper3407 is your UNANIMOUS @officialBBWAA NL #MVP: https://t.co/jmvKiAq2LW pic.twitter.com/AaHcQvt77e
— MLB (@MLB) November 19, 2015
History. Made. @BHarper3407 is the first MVP in franchise history! #MVPDMV https://t.co/B6robhhqEC pic.twitter.com/56gZ6kMEVg
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) November 19, 2015
Harper is now the first MVP in the history of the Washington Nationals.
Check out the BBWAA's voting breakdown here.
Harper made history tonight as well. At 23 years and 34 days old, he became the fourth-youngest player in MLB history to win the MVP award behind Stan Musial in 1943 (22 years, 316 days), Johnny Bench in 1970 (22 years, 298 days) and Vida Blue in 1971 (22 years, 64 days). Cal Ripken Jr. is now the fifth-youngest player to win it at 23 years and 83 days back in 1983.
The slugger batted .330/.460/.649/1.109 with 118 runs scored, 42 home runs and 99 RBI in 153 games. He earned his third recognition as an All-Star and collected his first career Silver Slugger Award as a result. Harper led the MLB in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS and WAR (9.93) and led the NL in runs scored, setting career-highs in all major hitting categories. He finished second behind Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon for the NL Batting Title.
The 2015 season marked the first year Harper wasn't hampered by injuries. He had previously never played in more than 139 games in a single year and he proved what he's capable of when 100% healthy.
And here are some more remarkable Harper stats provided by Bleacher Report:
"No player in history has produced 42 home runs and 124 walks in a season as young as Harper since Babe Ruth (54 and 150) did it in his age-25 season in 1920.
"No player ever has produced 42 homers, 124 walks and 118 runs scored in his age 22 or younger season, and no player of any age has done it since Barry Bonds in MVP seasons in 2001 (age 36) and 2004 (age 39)."
