Washington Nationals rookie Bryce Harper must be on the National League All-Star roster set to be announced on Sunday afternoon.
The 19-year-old right fielder has been a huge reason why the Nationals lead the New York Mets by 3 1/2 games in the NL East two months into the regular season.
Harper is batting just .280 this season, but has an impressive eight home runs and 22 RBIs to his name after just 55 games with Washington and 214 appearances at the plate.
Harper ranks 30th in the National League in batting average heading into July, 25th in on base percentage (.354) and 26th in slugging percentage (.486). Only Adam LaRoche ranks higher than Harper among Washington players this season with at least 3.1 plate appearances per game in slugging percentage.
Harper leads all other qualified hitters on the Nationals team in batting average and on base percentage. With that being said, one can make the argument that Harper has been Washington’s most consistent and important player so far in the regular season.
Harper’s .965 fielding percentage is second best on the team among players that have started more than 16 games, behind only Ian Desmond.
Although there are plenty of deserving names in the National League this season, it’s hard to find another player who has made as much of an impact as Bryce Harper has with the Washington Nationals in 2012.
His fearless play as a teenage rookie in the Major Leagues has been refreshing to watch. His production and impact clearly warrant an All-Star nod this July.
With that being said, it would be an absolute travesty for Harper to miss out on the NL All-Star roster on Sunday.
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