Nationals’ Bryce Harper destroys baseball, homers in first Grapefruit League at bat...

It’s happening again... #MBHGA!!!* No we’re not talking about the return of Twin Peaks later this summer, we’re talking about the return of Bryce Harper after a “down year” in 2016.

[ed. note - “ * #MBHGA = Make Bryce Harper Great Again.”]

In his first Grapefruit League at bat of the Spring, Harper absolutely demolished a hanging 1-0 breaking ball from New York Mets’ lefty Sean Gilmartin, sending a solo shot to right field, well over the outfield fence in First Data Field in Port St. Lucie.

Harper’s starting the season determined to make pitchers pay for his struggles last summer, when the 2015 NL MVP put up a .243/.373/.441 line, 24 doubles and 24 HRs in 147 games and 627 plate appearances, over which he was worth 3.5 fWAR, down from a .330/.460/.649, 38 double, 42 HR and 9.5 fWAR the previous season.

What was wrong with Harper last season? He told reporters earlier this Spring that he knows what was wrong, but he’s not telling.

“I know exactly why,” Harper said.

“But that’s all last year and that’s what you go through and you build and you grow and you try to maintain and that’s what I’m going to try to do again this year.”

Harper got off to a good start this afternoon with his solo bomb. Have a look. Isn’t it nice to get back to Bryce Harper crushing baseballs? He did not pull off this pitch? It was a real hanger of course, but you still have to hit them and boy did Harper hit it.

Take a look and tune in on SNY or MLB.tv is you were unaware that today is the official start of the Grapefruit League campaign: