NL MVP ranking: 3. Bryce Harper
Hate to say it, but Bryce Harper is on the outside looking in when it comes to the MVP award. He definitely should be one of the finalists for this year’s award, but as it stands right now, it is hard to put him ahead of the other two favorites in the NL West.
Harper trails Tatis in fWAR and is tied with Max Muncy. That is also with Tatis missing time with injury, which we will touch on later when we discuss his MVP case. Obviously, the award is not based on Wins Above Replacement, so there is more to dive into.
Harper is also behind in the counting stats as well. Harper has hit 25 home runs and has driven in 58 RBIs. Both of those marks are lower than Tatis and Muncy, with the RBIs being far lower with both guys being in the 70s. Harper also trails in runs.
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Harper does have a better batting average than Tatis and a better batting average and OPS than Muncy, but that margin is thin and can flip-flop with a handful of bad or good games for either player.
Some may say that he should be no. 2 on this list based on some of the numbers and while I understand the argument behind that, there are more reasons than why Harper is getting the bronze as it stands right now in August. Let’s dive into the MVP runner-up and make his case.