Should Philadelphia Phillies Slugger Bryce Harper be in MVP Conversation?

Despite some struggles of late, should Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper be in the MVP conversation?

Aug 27, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first base Bryce Harper (3) hits a single during the first inning against the Houston Astros at Citizens Bank Park. / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

As we get closer to the start of September, the Philadelphia Phillies are set to have another mediocre month in August. 

After the great start to the season for the Phillies, they haven’t been playing very well this summer. In July, the Phillies had a losing record, and they are hovering right around .500 in August with just a few games to go. 

"When Philadelphia was at their best toward the beginning of the season, they were getting a lot of production from their offense and their superstar, Bryce Harper. The left-handed slugger had a strong start to the season, as he totaled .313 batting average with seven homeruns in May and followed it up in June by batting .374 with seven homeruns.

Harper was looking like a true MVP candidate to start the season, but after heading to the injured list and missing some time, Shohei Otani ran away with the award. 

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report recently ranked the MVP candidates and had Bryce Harper coming in a respectable 6th. 

"When Harper landed on the IL with a hamstring strain in late June, he was on the short list of players who might have been able to edge out Shohei Ohtani for NL MVP. Since returning from that minimal stay on the shelf, however, neither he nor the Phillies have been the same. Harper has a sub-.700 OPS over the past two months, while the Dodgers have blown right by them in the race for the NL's No. 1 seed. Someone from the Phillies is bound to finish comfortably in the top 10 of the NL MVP vote, though, and Harper is the most likely candidate."

Overall, it has been a good season for Harper in 2024. This year he is batting .277 with 26 home runs and 76 RBIs. While the stats for the entire season paint a good picture, Harper of late has not been the same. 

In July, Harper had arguably his worst month of the season, as he batted just .149 with four homeruns in 67 at-bats. Considering July was the worst month of the season for Philadelphia, it’s easy to see the correlation. August has been better for Harper, however, as he’s batting .287 with nine doubles. 

As we head into September, the Phillies will be hoping to get Harper right heading into the playoffs, as they will be trying to make a run come October. While it has been a good overall season for Harper, he really won’t be in the MVP conversation this season.