Bryce Harper: Top 3 Fantasy Pick in 2016?

Usually probable MVP candidates are obvious top first round picks but Bryce Harper proves to be an interesting case. Talent wise there is no questioning that Harper belongs in the top 3 of next year’s draft, but he also brings his fair share of worries as well.

Harper’s 2015 was absolutely phenomenal. At only 22, he was able to muster a line, 118 Runs/.330 AVG/42 HR/99 RBI/.460 OBP/1.109 OPS, that is straight out of a video game. He finally delivered a season that all owners have been chasing since he has been in the league and we were reminded why he entered with so much hype.

His success was anchored by two main factors, health and patience. For the first time in his career he played over 140 games, allowing him to compile the ridiculous amount of counting stats that he did, and he final learned to take a walk as he notched 124 of them.

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The biggest problem with taking Harper in the past was that his playing style was problematic of nagging injuries that owners came to figure as inevitable. I know for me, it has been the only reason why I haven’t aggressively targeted him in the first three rounds of drafts as I prioritized safety.

The talent and upside are hard to pass up and owners have been burned before. In 2016, it will be interesting as owners that own the first five picks in the draft will have to make the ultimate decision whether Bryce Harper can produce even close to what he did this season.

Outside of his RBI total, his stats this season are undoubtedly his ceiling, albeit a monstrous one at that. If I owned the first two picks of the draft, I would still warrant on the side of safety and probably go with Mike Trout and Paul Goldschmidt respectively. Only because they offer safety which you have to get when picking that high in the draft.

After the first two picks the draft is truly wide open. We have seen guys like Manny Machado, Nolan Arenado, and Josh Donaldson, emerge to superstar status and enter a first round that offers owners multiple directions to go with their first pick.

Conceivably if someone told me that they were taking Harper first overall, I would not scoff at it as we got see how dominant of a player in fantasy he can be over a full healthy campaign.

For Bryce Harper to remain this kind of force owners are banking on him maintaining his more patient approach at the plate and his ability to stay on the field. Fluke injuries will strike anyone, but Harper did have some injury scares this season which left many owners fearing the worse.

The crazy thing about Harper’s season as well, was that the only reason he did not get to notch over 100 RBI was because of the Nationals lineup being so weak in front of him because of injuries. offering even more untapped possible stat totals.

For fantasy owners it all comes down to the usual question that always surrounds Bryce Harper; is the risk worth the ultimate reward? I think his time is finally here and he deserves to be the third overall pick because even he if regresses a little across the board in every spot, excluding RBI, he still posts stats that stack him amongst the best in baseball.