When it comes to sports, fans want to be entertained. There are diehard fans who will take their fandom to extreme limits, and there are casual fans who turn to sports to relax and enjoy. No matter what kind of fan a person is, there’s nothing better for them than watching those show-stopping, star players perform at the highest level.
ESPN put together a 32-man bracket to determine the most exciting player from the 2024 Major League Baseball season. Philadelphia Phillies star first baseman Bryce Harper is the lone representative for the Fightins.
Bryce Harper gets fleeced in ESPN’s ‘Most Exciting Player’ competition
Harper has been in the spotlight since he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated at 16 years old. The 31-year-old hasn’t disappointed in the 15 years since.
Harper was drafted with the first overall pick in the 2010 MLB Draft by the Washington Nationals. He made his major league debut at 19 years old in 2012 and went on to win the National League Rookie of the Year Award. He’s a two-time MVP, eight-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger winner, 2018 Home Run Derby champion and the 2022 NLCS MVP helping lead the Phillies to the franchise’s first World Series appearance since 2009.
Whether he’s hitting a walk-off grand slam in a regular season game or hitting a home run to send his team to the World Series, every Harper at-bat is must-see TV.
The Phillies signed Harper to a 13-year, $330 million contract before the 2019 season hoping to bring excitement and success to the City of Brotherly Love. He’s turned into the face of the Phillies and one of the most electric athletes the city has ever seen.
Harper may not be putting up the power numbers this year that fans are accustomed to seeing from him, but he has still put together an incredible season. Harper was in the conversation for the third MVP of his career during the first half of the season before falling into a slump that slowed him down, but he’s busted out of that.
The left-handed hitting slugger is slashing .290/.377/.533 with a .910 OPS, 28 home runs, 82 RBI and 40 doubles which is just two shy of his career high that he set in 2021 with 42 doubles. He ranks in the top five in the National League in doubles, on-base percentage, slugging and OPS and ranks in the top 10 in batting average and home runs.
Where does Bryce Harper rank among MLB’s most exciting players?
In the first round of ESPN’s MLB Most Exciting Player of 2024 bracket, Harper is up against Nationals rookie left fielder James Wood.
Wood made his major league debut on July 1, making an immediate impact on a bad Washington team. He’s slashing .273/.363/.426 with 11 doubles, three triples, seven home runs, 36 RBI and 13 stolen bases in 67 games to start his major league career. The 21-year-old has provided Nationals fans with plenty of excitement and something to cheer about in an overall down year. Harper is the clear winner in this matchup over Wood.
MLB experts were tasked with voting on a champion to determine the most exciting player this season. Harper moved on to the second round in a matchup against 2023 NL Rookie of the Year Corbin Carroll of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Carroll is having a down year this season after an incredible season last year in which he finished fifth in NL MVP voting. The experts gave Harper the advantage, punching his ticket to a third-round matchup with Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Mookie Betts.
Even with missing some time this year due to injury and playing in 30 fewer games, the experts voted for Betts over Harper. Betts leads Harper in batting average, on-base percentage, triples, stolen bases and has fewer strikeouts. Harper leads him in every other major offensive statistic.
“Betts' ability to do a little bit of everything, including handle multiple positions, swayed our voters in a meeting of former MVPs,” according to ESPN.
Harper could've easily made it to the final four in this bracket over Betts. In terms of solely the 2024 season, that's about how far he would've made it with the other players remaining.
The final four players in the most exciting player bracket were Betts, Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz, New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge and Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. The championship featured De La Cruz and Witt Jr. with Witt Jr. being named as ESPN’s 2024 MLB Mr. Excitement.