If you want to use the WAR argument, Harper has 603 less PAs than Rizzo, yet Harper isn't that far behind Rizzo in career bWAR. And that's with Harper's below average defense and Rizzo's Gold Glove defense.
yeah, not really.
career slash line:
Harper: .279/.388/.512, .900 OPS, 139 OPS+
Rizzo: .270/.369/.484, .853 OPS, 128 OPS+
162 game avg:
Harper: .279, 32 HR, 92 RBI, 161 hits, 102 BB, 146 K
Rizzo: .270, 29 HR, 97 RBI, 161 hits, 78 BB, 112 K
30 HR seasons:
Harper: 2
Rizzo: 4
100 RBI seasons:
Harper: 1
Rizzo: 4
Not even getting into defense where Harper is a liability and Rizzo is a 2x Gold Glove winner.
Career WAR, Harper 27.4...Rizzo 28.8
Translation:
The market ***** slapped Boras and Harper with the reality that he's not as good as they think he is
Ha...Watch him sign in Washington for less than the $300/10 he was originally offered.
Yes...$300/10
The tweet above says they won't stretch beyond the original $300 mil offerI thought I read 300/10 was their initial offer and they may have upped it since.
Nationals Latest Offer To Bryce Harper Reportedly "Much More" Than $300MMThe tweet above says they won't stretch beyond the original $300 mil offer
That seems like a Boras planted story to me, and who knows if it's true
That seems like a Boras planted story to me, and who knows if it's true
Yeah, I'll stick with Passan over MLBTraderumors
Despite averaging 107 runs, 32 home runs, 91 RBI, and a .900 OPS per 162 games for his career, it's possible that Harper has failed to live up to initial expectations
With that said, baseball isn't like other sports. Baseball players don't generally peak in their early 20's like they do in hockey and basketball
Harper is still younger than David Ortiz was when he joined the Red Sox. He's still younger than both Edgar Martinez and Josh Donaldson were when they played their first full seasons in the big leagues
Whether you like him or not, he's currently in the midst of a hall of fame career - and he hasn't even hit his physical prime yet!
His 162gm averages are propped up big time by a couple outlier seasons.
Such as the 32 HR and 900 OPS is despite only reaching either number in a season 2x.
They are also propped up because he can't stay healthy only averaging ~125 games per season