Bryce Harper Breaks Out of Slump With 3 Home Runs

The Washington Nationals were the popular pre season pick to win the National League East but appeared to be asleep for much of April. Recent signs indicate they are waking from their slumber. The Nationals have won seven of 10 and have moved into third place, 4 ½ games behind front running New York and a half game behind second place Atlanta.

While the pitching hasn’t been too bad, Washington’s offense has generally been middle of the pack or worse. But the bats are beginning to come alive, and nowhere was that more evident than with Bryce Harper in the Nationals 7-5 win over the Miami Marlins on May 6th. Harper had been mired in a 1 for 17 slump, but broke out of it in a big way with three home runs and five RBIs:

Harper arrived in Washington with much fanfare in the 2012 season; much was, and is, expected of him, perhaps too much too soon. Even though he’s in his fourth season, he’s still just 22 years old, younger than most major leaguers. Harper is beginning to catch on, and is now more patient at the plate, drawing walks much more often than he used to (he now leads the majors with 26). While his batting average is an OK .265, his on base percentage is a robust .416. Washington opens a three game weekend set at home against Atlanta on May 8th, and has an opportunity to take over second place,