As of this morning, Bryce Harper currently leads the National League in home runs (17), runs scored (40), RBIs (42, tied with the Miami Marlins' Giancarlo Stanton), walks (40), on-base percentage (.467), slugging percentage (.734), wRC+ (217) and fWAR (3.5).
Through 46 games and 195 plate appearancse, the 22-year-old, 2010 no.1 overall pick is putting together a monster season.
ESPN.com's Jayson Stark named Harper his first-quarter NL MVP noting that the Nats' right fielder has, "... already accumulated more homers (17), RBIs (42), walks (40) and extra-base hits (27) than he had all last year," in 395 PAs.
After Harper went 2 for 3 with a run scored, two RBIs and walk in the series finale with the Philadelphia Phillies this past Sunday, in a game in which he also made a number of impressive defensive plays, Matt Williams was asked about how well-rounded Harper's game has become over the last year-plus.
"The secret of success for him or any other player is two-out base hits with guys in scoring position," Williams said.
"Getting those guys in from third with less than two out. That's what will make a fantastic season."
"He's playing great defense," Williams continued.
"He'll hit balls over the fence, but that won't be the measure of his success, it will be those little things that he does within the course of the game that allows us to get an extra run or cut a run down, things of that nature."
Harper's been doing the little things right all season for the Nationals.
If things stay as they are now, he'll have an opportunity to help the National League as well at the 2015 All-Star Game in Cincinnati's Great American Ballpark, where the Nationals are headed after they wrap up their current series in Wrigley Field.
Apparently the entire baseball world wants a chance to watch him on a big stage in the Midsummer Classic.
In an update this afternoon, Major League Baseball announced that as of this morning, "Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper, a two-time All-Star, leads all NL players in balloting with 1,116,582 total votes."
Harper's one of only two NL players who have cracked a million votes already, along with St. Louis Cardinals' infielder Matt Carpenter, who has 1,113,060 votes so far.
Though no other Nationals are in the top five in voting thus far among position players (and I don't know if anyone really should be), Harper's likely to have some company if he does end up going to the ASG.
Max Scherzer has been pretty solid so far...