Philadelphia Phillies Star Bryce Harper's Status Revealed for NL MVP Award

Philadelphia Phillies superstar Bryce Harper is among the top potential NL MVP Award candidates.

Sep 16, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first base Bryce Harper (3) runs in from the infield after the top of the sixth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. / Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

At one point earlier this season, Philadelphia Phillies superstar first baseman Bryce Harper was a top favorite to win the National League MVP Award. Unfortunately, he went through a bit of a slump that knocked him out as the top contender.

Now, with just 10 games left in the regular season for the Phillies, he still appears to be a potential candidate to win the prestigious award.

Recently, Jim Bowden revealed his predictions for MLB award in a column for The Athletic. He had Harper among his top NL MVP candidates.

Bowden placed Harper at No. 4 in his rankings. Ahead of him were Shoehei Ohtani, Francisco Lindor, and Ketel Marte in that order.

"Ohtani leads the NL in home runs (48), RBIs (110), runs (119), slugging percentage (.607), OPS (.978) and total bases (360). The four-time All-Star is also on the verge of winning his third MVP Award, after winning the AL honor in 2021 and 2023 with the Angels. However, the voting is expected to be close as Lindor has had an MVP-caliber season, batting .271 with 31 home runs and 27 stolen bases while playing stellar defense at shortstop. Marte and Harper should get some consideration as well."

More than likely, Harper will come up just short. However, he has been a huge part of making Philadelphia one of the top World Series contenders in baseball.

During the 2024 MLB season thus far, Harper has played in 136 games. He has hit 29 home runs to go along with 84 RBI, while batting .288/.374/.533.

Those numbers show why Harper belongs on the list.

Even though he likely won't win the award, the 2024 season has been a massive success for Harper. He has made a perfect transition to first base full-time. The numbers he has put up have placed him among the best players in baseball.

Looking ahead to the future, the Phillies are in a great position. They should be able to keep a championship window open for the next few years with the right roster moves.

Harper has put together an impressive career. Now, he's focused on bringing another championship to Philadelphia to improve his legacy even more.

It seems likely that Ohtani or Lindor will end up winning the MVP Award this season, but as Bowden suggested, Harper has forced his way into consideration for voters.