Washington Nationals: Bryce Harper Playing Injured?

Saying Washington Nationals star Bryce Harper has taken a step back this season would be a vast understatement. The young outfielder has struggled to play at a level that even resembles the player that he was last season.

For those few that missed it, Bryce Harper had an incredible season finally delivering on the endless hype that had surrounded him winning an MVP award and helping the Washington Nationals fans forget the disappointing season that the team had.  Harper carried the offense at times and looked to finally be living up to that Mike Trout comparison.

This season it has been a different story. Harper has struggled to play anywhere close to the level he did last season. He has struggled to get hits and his batting average has dropped almost a full hundred points compared to what it was at this point last season. His power numbers have declined as well, leading to speculation as to whether the star outfielder is playing with an injury.

Bryce Harper had a meeting with his managers to clear up whether or not he was actually playing injured. Harper assured the Washington Nationals front office he was not playing hurt and is completely healthy. The Nationals seem to believe that Harper truly is healthy and have no concerns that the face of their franchise is injured.

While the Nationals seem assured that Harper is healthy, there is still the question of what is causing Harper’s large decline this season. While it is still possible Harper is playing injured, the more logical explanation would be the young outfielder adjusting to being the center of attention in the Nationals lineup.

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The twenty-three year old Harper very well could be hiding an injury but it is doubtful that he could convince both the front office and the medical personnel otherwise. Harper became frustrated early this season due to the amount of times the opposition was walking him.  He became progressively more frustrated as this continued and began to chase pitches out of the zone.

As the season has gone on this became a habit for Harper and his numbers are suffering because of it.  Harper became frustrated early on this season and refused to take the walks and remain patient, instead becoming over aggressive and is now paying the price.

Bryce Harper is too good of a player to not stop and make the much-needed adjustments this season. He is still only 23 years old and already has played in more than six-hundred games.  Harper has too much talent to continue the struggles he has had this season.

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There is little doubt Harper, injured or not, has much better seasons ahead of him. He can still make a difference when it matters most for the Washington Nationals this season as they head into postseason play.