Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper drew six walks Sunday against the Chicago Cubs.
Bryce Harper had himself an interesting Sunday afternoon. His Washington Nationals were at Wrigley Field taking on the Chicago Cubs and Jake Arrieta, so a duel between the two stars was expected.
Instead, fans saw Harper reach base in each of his seven plate appearances without having to swing the bat.
Harper was walked six times Sunday, three of which were intentional, and reached base a seventh time after being hit by a pitch.
Bryce Harper saw 3 pitches in the zone yesterday... pic.twitter.com/tfJuzhEFkn
— Daren Willman (@darenw) May 9, 2016
Bryce Harper is the first player in MLB history to reach base 7 times without an at-bat. (6 BB, 1 HBP) pic.twitter.com/NdjgpDUBgv
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 8, 2016
This type of day for Harper was surely frustrating for the great hitter, but it may be one of the first of many days where he is not given a chance to hit.
Harper experienced the treatment given to Barry Bonds throughout the latter half of his career, when teams would gladly face anyone but him, giving up the free base to avoid the likely outcome of a hit.
Bryce Harper has drawn 10 walks in this series, the first player to do that since Barry Bonds in 2004 (against the Marlins) via @EliasSports
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 8, 2016
Harper can take this treatment as a compliment as even the great Jake Arietta chose to walk him instead of pitching to him, but the frustration will grow if this continues to happen.
The six walks are a bit extreme to happen every game, but Harper should expect to be walked at least once or twice a game going forward, given he does not go after pitches out of the zone. No hitter wants to have the bat taken out of his hand, but getting on base and coming around to score often will lead to teams having to pitch to him, instead of putting him on base and giving up a potential free run.
The key for Harper and the Nationals is to put talent around him in the order. Ryan Zimmerman hit behind him Sunday, but his .236 batting average and 12 RBI does not make him threatening to teams, and makes walking Harper a much easier decision.
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The Nationals head into Monday with a record of 19-12, just a half game behind the New York Mets in the NL East. Bryce Harper is the team’s best player, so no matter how he gets on base, he will be helping his team every time he does, even if he never has to swing the bat.