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Washington Nationals' slugger Bryce Harper wins NL Outstanding Player Award

At the Players Choice Awards on Monday night, 23-year-old Washington Nationals' slugger Bryce Harper was named the NL Outstanding Player of the Year, as voted on by his fellow major leaguers. Up next, NL MVP.

By Patrick Reddington
Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

At the end of his fourth major league campaign, Bryce Harper, who turned 23 in October, after the regular season ended, led the National League in On-Base Percentage (.460), Slugging Percentage (.649), Wins Above Replacement (9.5 fWAR), Weighted On-Base Average (.461), Weighted Runs Created Plus (198 wRC+), Isolated Power (.319) and runs scored (118).

Washington's 2010 no.1 overall pick finished tied for first in the NL in  home runs (42), finished second in the NL in walks (124), and second in Batting Average (.330).

Not bad for a player who was voted the Most Overrated Player in MLB in an ESPN poll of 117 major league players before the 2015 campaign began.

Late last month, Harper was recognized as the best hitter in the National League with the Hank Aaron Award, which is handed out every year (since 1999) to the top hitter in each league as voted on by baseball fans and a special panel of Hall of Fame players led by Hank Aaron which included Roberto Alomar, Johnny Bench, Craig Biggio, Eddie Murray, Frank Thomas and Robin Yount.

Tonight, the Nationals' slugger was named the National League's Outstanding Player for 2015 by the MLB Players Association:

There are only ten days left until we find out if Harper will also take home the NL MVP award after his record-setting season in the nation's capital.

Mike Rizzo on the process of hiring Dusty Baker as manager

 Photo © Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports

He is the only player in MLB history with at least 42 home runs, 124 walks and 118 runs scored in a single season at age 22 or younger. His 42 homers were the second-most by any left-handed hitter age 22 or young since 1929, tied with Mel Ott (who hit 42 in 1929), behind only Eddie Matthews, who hit 47 in 1963. And he became the first Nats' player to lead the NL in home runs.

All that before he turned 23.

"It’s one thing for a player to have the kind of hype that has surrounded Bryce Harper since he was very, very young," Baseball America's Editor In Chief John Manuel said in a press release naming Harper BA's Major League Player of the Year. "It’s another to live up to it. Bryce Harper has done that."

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