Mount Harper: Nats star on another level

This must be what it was like to watch a young Hank Aaron or a young Willie Mays or Frank Robinson. Take your pick. Every so often, a player comes along who makes the game look oh-so-easy, a player who captivates us on so many levels. That’s where we’re at with Bryce Harper.

Is he the best player on the planet? Who cares? Part of the reason we love this game is that we can debate that kind of question into the wee hours.

All that’s clear is that 23-year-old Harper is taking us on a sweet ride, that his every at-bat has become must-see television. We know that every time he swings, we may see something we’ve never seen before.

Harper homered again in the Nationals’ 7-0 win over the Marlins on Tuesday night, his seventh of the young season and second with the bases loaded. Only Rockies sensational rookie Trevor Story has more home runs (eight), and Harper leads the Majors with 20 RBIs and a 1.295 OPS.

This is what we’ve come to expect from Harper since the moment last season when everything began to click. Think about this guy’s career arc. He made his big league debut four years ago at 19.

For three seasons, there were only glimpses of greatness, but nothing more than that. At times, he was too aggressive, and he paid for it, both with injuries and rubbing teammates and opponents the wrong way.

In a poll of MLB players done …

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