Bryce Harper

Bryce Harper, Josh Donaldson Win MVP Awards

By Steve Adams | November 19, 2015 at 6:00pm CDT

Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper and Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson were named the most valuable players in their respective leagues, the Baseball Writers Association of America announced today. Harper was the unanimous choice for first place among the 30 who voted, whereas Donaldson took home 23 of the 30 first-place votes. Ballots for MVP voting go 10 deep and are based on a scale that awards 14 points for a first-place vote and then nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two and one respectively down the list.

Paul Goldschmidt was the runaway choice for second place, collecting 18 second-place votes and 234 points. Joey Votto, Anthony Rizzo, Andrew McCutchen, Jake Arrieta and Zack Greinke each received second-place votes and finished third through seventh, in that order. Rounding out the remainder of the ballot were (in order) Nolan Arenado, Buster Posey, Clayton Kershaw, Kris Bryant, Matt Carpenter, Yoenis Cespedes, A.J. Pollock, Jason Heyward, Dee Gordon, Trevor Rosenthal, Curtis Granderson, Gerrit Cole and Adrian Gonzalez. (Full voting breakdown here.)

That Harper won shouldn’t come as a surprise, as he was widely believed to be the favorite for the award on the heels of a historically great age-22 season. (Winning in unanimous fashion is perhaps a mild surprise, as there are still voters who prefer their MVPs to come from playoff clubs.) The former No. 1 overall draft pick batted .330/.460/.649 and led the National League in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, home runs (42) and runs scored (118). Harper was consistent throughout the season, never posting a monthly OPS lower than .909, and his all-around contributions were valued at 9.9 wins above replacement by Baseball-Reference.com and 9.5 WAR by Fangraphs.

Shifting to the American League, Mike Trout unsurprisingly finished runner-up and received all seven of the other first-place votes that did not go to Donaldson. The top two finishers combined to receive all but one of the first- and second-place votes, with Nelson Cruz receiving one second-place vote. Donaldson’s final point total was 385, with Trout coming in at 304. Rounding out the top 20 (in order): Lorenzo Cain, Manny Machado, Dallas Keuchel, Cruz, Adrian Beltre, Jose Bautista, David Price, Jose Altuve, Miguel Cabrera, Edwin Encarnacion, Prince Fielder, Chris Davis, J.D. Martinez, Jason Kipnis, Kevin Kiermaier, Kendrys Morales, Chris Sale and Mookie Betts. (Full voting breakdown here.)

Donaldson’s first season with the Blue Jays was everything Toronto could’ve hoped for and then some when trading Brett Lawrie and three prospects for him last offseason. The 29-year-old batted .297/.371/.568 and blasted 41 homers, leading the American League in both runs scored (122) and RBIs (123). In addition to his outstanding offensive contributions, Donaldson ranked among the game’s elite at third base, saving 11 runs above the average defender, by measure of Defensive Runs Saved and nine runs above average per Ultimate Zone Rating. B-Ref (8.8) and Fangraphs (8.7) were more or less in agreement on Donaldson’s value in terms of wins above replacement.

NL East Notes: Nats, Harper, Marlins

By Mark Polishuk | September 29, 2015 at 11:21am CDT

Though both the Braves and Nationals collapsed over the last few months of the season, Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution still feels Washington is in the better position going forward. The Nats will lose some big pieces in free agency this winter but they “can fix a lot with a manager who can take charge of the clubhouse and a few leaders on the roster. They have more proven major-league talent than the Braves,” Schultz writes. Here’s some more from around the division…

Bryce Harper wasn’t in the Nationals’ lineup on Monday, an absence GM Mike Rizzo confirmed was due to the outfielder’s part in the dugout fracas with Jonathan Papelbon during Sunday’s game. Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post has quotes from both Rizzo and Harper about the situation, and she also expresses some incredulity that Harper was punished for essentially acting in self-defense.
The Papelbon incident doesn’t exactly help the Nationals’ chances of keeping Harper on a long-term contract, Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post writes. Boswell’s piece examines the many changes that will come to the Nats this winter due to free agent departures and other moves, leaving remaining veterans like Ryan Zimmerman dismayed that the likes of Ian Desmond or Jordan Zimmermann could depart, though Zimmerman is still optimistic. “Sometimes, shaking things up is what’s necessary. If every single person from this team came back, would I like our chances if we did it all again next year? Yes. But that’s not going to happen….But some really, really good things are coming to this team. ‘Mix up’ could be positive,” Zimmerman said.
The Marlins have played well in September, a performance MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro attributes to the clubhouse putting the season’s discord and drama behind them. “Basically, the players united together. They were tired of losing. Tired of the internal bickering….So they responded by staying loose, having fun, and the wins followed,” Frisaro writes. The leadership of Martin Prado and Jeff Mathis played a big part in this attitude shift, and Mathis’ teammates would love to see the veteran catcher brought back in free agency this winter. Frisaro thinks the Marlins need to build on this, rather than create even more distrust by having another roster shakeup.
In other NL East news on MLBTR, check out this collection of Phillies Notes from earlier today.

Nationals Notes: Boras, Rizzo, Papelbon/Harper

By charliewilmoth | September 28, 2015 at 6:40pm CDT

The Nationals might not be headed to the playoffs, but they’ve certainly owned the headlines today, thanks to the Jonathan Papelbon / Bryce Harper confrontation yesterday (and Papelbon’s subsequent suspension) and Max Scherzer taking a no-hitter into the eighth against the Reds this afternoon. Here’s the latest from Washington.

Scott Boras represents a number of key Nationals players, but he rejects criticisms that he has something to do with the team having underachieved lately, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes. Boras represents Scherzer, Harper, Stephen Strasburg, Anthony Rendon, Jayson Werth, Danny Espinosa, and now Gio Gonzalez and Denard Span. Boras, though, points out that he also has several clients each on the Rangers, Cubs and Royals, all of whom are likely or definite playoff teams. “The issue is whenever I have had a number of players on the team, the vast majority of times it goes very well,” says Boras.
Nats GM Mike Rizzo’s deal goes through 2016 and contains a club option for 2017, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal tweets. The Nats will reportedly keep Rizzo for next season, although the details of his contract do seem relevant, given the Nats’ high-profile collapse this season.
Public opinion understandably (and, from my vantage point, very justifiably) came down against Papelbon for his actions in his dustup with Harper, but responses from players were more mixed, pitcher-turned-commentator C.J. Nitkowski of FOX Sports writes. Some said Papelbon’s behavior was acceptable or that they “would have done the same thing,” seemingly proving Nitkowski’s point that “the clubhouse is like no other place.”
Another former pitcher, Dirk Hayhurst of VICE Sports, writes that the fight was the consequence of baseball’s strange culture in which “the preferred tool for teaching is assault, and no one has any idea what that lesson is actually being taught because all the important stuff is not written down anywhere.”
Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post, meanwhile, argues that criticism of Harper for the altercation is unfair. Harper did run out the ball on the play that led to the fracas, and he’s played hard this season. He’s also been accommodating of media and autograph requests. And he has, of course, played brilliantly, while some of his teammates have foundered.

Latest On The Jonathan Papelbon/Bryce Harper Altercation

By Mark Polishuk | September 27, 2015 at 10:22pm CDT

Bryce Harper and Jonathan Papelbon had to be separated by teammates after a dugout altercation during the eighth inning of today’s game between the Nationals and Phillies. As the MLB.com video shows, the two exchanged words before Papelbon grabbed Harper by the throat and shoved him towards the dugout wall. The issue apparently stemmed from Papelbon’s displeasure that Harper didn’t run out a fly ball that inning. Somewhat incredibly, Papelbon remained in the game to pitch the ninth inning and was rocked for five runs (two earned) in what ended up as a 12-5 Nationals loss. Here’s some reaction from around the game to this bizarre incident…

“I’m in the wrong there,” Papelbon said afterwards to reporters, including MLB.com’s Jacob Emert. “I’ve talked to Bryce and told him how we feel and we’re on the same page now, which is good….Sometimes in this game there’s a lot of testosterone and there’s a lot of intensity that spills over, and I think that happened today. For me, I can’t allow that to happen in the middle of a game. You handle that after the games or allow the manager to handle that. In that light of it, I’m wrong.”
The Nationals have no choice but to part ways with Papelbon in the wake of this embarrassing situation, CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman opines. The team may have to end up releasing him outright and eating the $11MM owed to Papelbon for 2016 given that his trade value is at rock-bottom. As Heyman notes, “several – and I mean several – major-league GMs declared at deadline time they wouldn’t ever consider touching Papelbon” due to his reputation as a bad clubhouse personality.
Matt Williams initially told reporters that the situation was just “a family issue,” though he later clarified that he didn’t see the incident when it actually happened (via tweets from James Wagner of the Washington Post) and only saw footage after his initial talk with the media. Williams stated that he’s “livid about it” and wouldn’t have allowed Papelbon to keep pitching had he initially seen what happened. As you might expect, Williams was heavily criticized for both letting Papelbon stay in the game and then criticized again for not being aware of the altercation.
Williams is widely expected to be fired in the wake of the Nationals’ rough season, though Heyman reports that the Lerner family considered firing Williams weeks ago but decided to stay the course since the team was still in the pennant race. GM Mike Rizzo will return in 2016 for “one more chance,” though Heyman wonders if the Lerners could or should make a next managerial hire themselves since Rizzo hired Williams.
The Papelbon/Harper skirmish “will be a symbol of an entire season when everything went wrong and every hidden structural weakness in the franchise was exposed,” Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post writes. Rather than write off 2015 to injuries and Williams’ managerial tactics, Boswell argues that the Nationals should take the opportunity to examine factors like “organizational culture” to payroll flexibility to even Ted Lerner’s tendency to negotiate free agent contracts directly with agent Scott Boras.

NL East Notes: Harvey, Harper, Lazo

By Jeff Todd | September 17, 2015 at 10:53pm CDT

ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark takes a long look at the question of how the Mets ought to be handling righty Matt Harvey within the context of the broader state of knowledge on pitching injuries. It is an interesting read, though the bottom-line takeaway remains that even the experts still feel unable to provide clear guidance on how to handle post-Tommy John pitchers.

A few more quick notes relating to the NL East:

It’s time for the Nationals to consider whether to make a real run at attempting to extend Bryce Harper, writes Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post. As he notes, Harper is currently looking to polish off a historic season — his OPS+ of over 200 is something that a number of inner-circle Hall-of-Famers never reached, let alone at age 22 — which obviously gives him plenty of leverage. True, Harper is already under contract for a reasonable price tag next year — after reaching a two-year, $7.5MM, grievance-avoiding deal that has worked out well for Washington — and he can be controlled for two more seasons beyond. But signing a player like Harper, who is represented by Scott Boras, is probably less about market comps than it is creative business valuation and the imaginations of both sides. Giancarlo Stanton’s record $325MM guarantee would probably need to be smashed to get something done, Boswell suggests, and I’m inclined to agree.
Marlins lefty Raudel Lazo has overcome long odds to reach the big leagues this year, as Christina De Nicoloa of FOXSports Florida writes. Not only did he have to defect from his native Cuba and climb the ranks as a fairly unheralded signee, but he overcame consecutive Tommy John surgeries along the way. The 26-year-old has a small frame and lacks a high-velocity fastball, but he has consistently posted good strikeout-to-walk numbers in the minors.

Injury Notes: Harper, Gomez, Panik, Pence

By Mark Polishuk | September 14, 2015 at 8:37pm CDT

Bryce Harper was back in the Nationals lineup today, so the star outfielder seems recovered from yesterday’s collision with Derek Dietrich. Harper was removed in the first inning of the 3-0 win over the Marlins after colliding with Dietrich on the basepaths. Despite some dizziness and hip soreness, Harper passed concussion tests after the game and seemed no worse for the wear Monday, as he’s collected two hits (including a homer) and a walk in his first four plate appearances against the Phillies. Needless to say, losing Harper for any length of time would’ve erased the Nats’ fading hopes of getting back in the playoff race. Here’s the latest on some more serious injury news from around baseball…

Carlos Gomez will miss the Astros’ four-game series with the Rangers with a left intercostal strain, GM Jeff Luhnow told reporters (including Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle) though the strain isn’t though to be too serious. Gomez suffered the injury during batting practice yesterday and underwent an MRI today to access the damage.
Joe Panik is likely to miss the rest of the season due to ongoing back problems, Giants manager Bruce Bochy told reporters, including CSNBayArea.com’s Alex Pavlovic). “The odds lean more toward the season being over for him,” Bochy said. “I talked to him yesterday. He didn’t really feel a lot of improvement. He’s going to need some rest. I would be surprised if he plays, unless things work out really, really well and we get to October.” Panik has only played in three games since August 1 due to his bad back, bringing a sour end to an otherwise tremendous season for the second baseman, as he hit .312/.378/.455 over 432 PA. Panik’s status was a reason the Giants exploded trading for Chase Utley in August, though rookie Kelby Tomlinson has played very well as Panik’s replacement.
In other Giants injury news, Bochy also wasn’t sure if Hunter Pence would be able to return from an oblique strain. “It may get to the point where we may feel it’s not worth the risk. I don’t mean to be negative, but we have to be smart about this,” Bochy said. Pence began taking dry swings today but there’s no indication about when he’ll start live batting practice.

Quick Hits: Harper, DBacks, Phillies, Gregorius

By | June 13, 2015 at 10:58pm CDT

Here’s the latest from around the league as the evening winds down:

Bryce Harper may be likely to enter free agency after the 2018 season, but Yankees fans shouldn’t start counting their chickens just yet. Bill Shaiken of the LA Times believes the Dodgers have a better chance to sign Harper. The Yankees roster is aging and none of their prospects are among Baseball America’s top 30. Meanwhile, the Dodgers may have a brighter future when Harper is a free agent. They have a young, talented active roster with Corey Seager and Julio Urias waiting in the minors. Harper could prove to be a valuable supplement to young assets like Joc Pederson, Yasiel Puig, and Yasmani Grandal. Of course, this all assumes the Nationals can’t manage an extension or that they won’t trade him to another team that can.
Diamondbacks GM Dave Stewart “does not seem inclined” to trade for pitching at the trade deadline, tweets Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. The club has plenty of young depth both in the majors and the minors, but Stewart wants to continue developing internally. Arizona is currently fourth in the NL West and 7.5 games behind the first place Dodgers. They’re also five games back in the Wild Card hunt. In my opinion, there will be more pressure to improve the rotation and bullpen if the club is within a few games of the plays at the deadline.
Don’t expect the Phillies to sit on their veteran assets at the trade deadline, writes Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Daily News. Last July, the Phillies controversially opted to hold steady, but the club is now more thoroughly committed to rebuilding. Lawrence runs through possible destinations and hypothetical trade packages for the team’s remaining veterans. Interestingly, he believes the performance and complicated contracts of Chase Utley and Carlos Ruiz will make them harder to trade than Ryan Howard.
The Yankees trade to acquire Didi Gregorius doesn’t look so bad after the Tigers optioned starter Shane Greene to Triple-A, opines Brendan Kuty of NJ.com. Greene began the season with a 0.39 ERA in three starts, but he has since allowed just under a run per inning. Of course, Gregorius has hardly lit the world on fire with a .228/.287/.298 line and 0.4 UZR. While it’s much too early to declare a winner of this modest trade, perhaps we should be looking at the Diamondbacks. They acquired Robbie Ray in the swap. Through three starts, he has a 1.53 ERA with 6.62 K/9 and 2.55 BB/9. Just don’t forget how Greene looked through three starts!

Bryce Harper, Nationals Agree To Two-Year Deal

By Tim Dierkes | December 15, 2014 at 8:02am CDT

8:02am: USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets that Harper and the Nats have agreed to a two-year, $7.5MM contract. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweets that Harper will earn $2.5MM in 2015 and $5MM in 2016.

7:40am: Bryce Harper and the Nationals have avoided a grievance, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. The two sides reached a settlement Sunday evening in advance of a potential Tuesday hearing. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets the two sides have agreed to a two-year deal.

The issue at stake was whether Harper had the right to opt out of the $1.5MM salary owed to him through the Major League deal he signed upon being drafted and enter baseball’s arbitration system, which would have allowed him to earn more money.

As Kilgore explained in a previous article, Harper and the Nationals reached a verbal agreement on a five-year, $9.9MM Major League deal just minutes before the signing deadline, and when a final contract was drafted up, there was no clause for Harper to opt into arbitration. Harper and agent Scott Boras refused to sign the deal, at which point MLB and the MLBPA stepped in, allowing a letter of agreement that stated Harper could opt for a grievance hearing to determine whether or not he qualified for arbitration, should be become eligible for arb before the deal’s final season.

NL Notes: Harper, Zimmermann, Marlins, Pirates, Rasmus

By edcreech | December 14, 2014 at 3:00pm CDT

The latest salvo in Bryce Harper’s grievance against the Nationals over his arbitration eligibility was fired yesterday when Harper failed to appear at NatsFest, the team’s annual fan convention. Nationals GM Mike Rizzo told reporters, including James Wagner of the Washington Post, “We’re disappointed he’s not here, but he chose not to be here because of the grievance.” Harper responded with a statement provided by his representatives and quoted by Wagner, “I have attended NatsFest each year and always enjoy my experience with the fans, but was unable to attend this year’s event due to matters out of my control. I look forward to next year’s NatsFest.” The grievance hearing is scheduled for Tuesday in New York. If Harper wins his grievance, MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects a $2.5MM arbitration award for the outfielder (as opposed to the $1.5MM base his contract stipulates for 2015), which will create a larger platform for future arbitration earnings.

In other news and notes involving the National League:

Jordan Zimmermann reiterated his desire to sign an extension with the Nationals, but only at the right price, reports CSNWashington.com’s Chase Hughes. “If it’s a fair value, like I have said all along, I would gladly sign,” said Zimmermann. “But at the end of the day, it’s gotta be something that’s fair and if it’s not, then I’ll be moving on.“
The Marlins are not willing to trade either Henderson Alvarez or Jarred Cosart for a first baseman, tweets Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Jackson also reports the Marlins have had more talks with Michael Morse in recent days and he represents the best realistic option to upgrade the position.
The Marlins are listening to offers for right-hander Nathan Eovaldi; but, while the Pirates view him as a “terrific young pitcher” and “someone we’ll keep looking at,” club president Frank Coonelly says they are not close to bringing him to Pittsburgh, tweets MLB.com’s Tom Singer.
In a separate Singer tweet, Coonelly also downplays the return of Edinson Volquez. “Two years for $20MM not far off for Volquez,” Coonelly said. “He could get that. It probably won’t be here.“
The Cubs have met recently with Colby Rasmus and are one of several teams to show interest in him, reports Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi. MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes identified the Cubs as a potential landing spot for Rasmus back in September while the Orioles and Royals have also been linked to the free agent center fielder.
With the elevation of Jeff Bridich to general manager, Rockies manager Walt Weiss has more independence in running the team with the front office no longer maintaining an offfice in the clubhouse and is more involved in player personnel decisions, writes Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post.

NL Notes: Tomas, Liriano, Marlins, Harper, Braves, Gattis

By Jeff Todd | December 1, 2014 at 10:07pm CDT

The Phillies never made an offer for outfielder Yasmany Tomas, agent Jay Alou Jr. tells Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Alou said that the club was engaged throughout the process, but that GM Ruben Amaro Jr. gave the impression that he had to “clear salary” before he could put dollars on the table. “His hands were tied,” Alou said in reference to Amaro. For his part, Amaro said only that “it was clear the Diamondbacks valued him higher than we did.” The ownership group has not created any “impediments” to his baseball operations staff, he added.

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