MLB All-Star Game 2018: 5 most likely MVP candidates
2. Bryce Harper, OF/Washington Nationals
And now we come to the other local favorite in this year’s All-Star Game, that man being Bryce Harper. Nevermind the fact that his batting average is barely over .215 on the year. This is Bryce Harper, arguably the face of the Washington Nationals.
He is 25 years old and about to make his FOURTH trip to the All-Star Game. Pretty impressive for a guy that likely won’t still be in town once the season concludes. Yes, we’ve all heard the rumors that he could possibly be a teammate of those Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo guys next year in Chicago. But that’s a discussion to have later on towards the end of this year, when free agency starts heating up.
If in fact this IS Harper’s last year as a National, you can bet he wants to end it with a bang. His batting average doesn’t reflect the 21 homers he’s picked up already. But let him drop one or two of those over the wall on the 17th and he’ll make a lot of people in the building very happy.
Bryce would be the obvious favorite for MVP regardless of how the night goes. The regular season doesn’t carry weight when it comes to determining who gets that particular trophy. So while his season hasn’t been Bryce-like, all he needs is a couple of good swings and that all goes away for the night. And he leaves town on a high note.
And if that’s not enough to add to the festivities, he announced on the Nationals Twitter page that he would also consider competing in the Home Run Derby. But under one condition – he had to get voted in for the All-Star Game. So that’s now a lock and he’ll have a couple of busy days in D.C.