What should the Detroit Tigers expect from the No. 1 pick?

2010: Bryce Harper (Washington)

Like the Rays a few years prior, the Nationals had the top choice in the draft in back-to-back years. After taking what they hoped would be a rotation anchor in 2009, they went for a potential lineup cornerstone in Bryce Harper in 2010.

Harper was a teenage phenom in every sense of the word. After his sophomore year in high school, he earned his GED in order to be eligible for the 2010 draft. As a 17-year old, he played for the College of Southern Nevada with his brother, Bryan. He won the Golden Spikes Award as the top amateur baseball player in the country, and then was picked by the Nationals in June.

As with Strasburg the year before, Harper was represented by Scott Boras, and the deal came down to the wire. The two sides got it done, and he made his debut in the Arizona Fall League.

Harper spent all of 2011 in the minors, and started 2012 there as well. In late April of 2012, Ryan Zimmerman went on the disabled list, and Harper was called up for the first time. Other than minor league rehab assignments, Harper was in The Show to stay.

He took off right away, blasting 22 homers on his way to an All-Star selection and the Rookie of the Year Award in 2012. Harper netted another All-Star selection the next year, but really took off in 2015.

In 2015, Harper hit a career-high .330 and launched 42 homers on his way to the National League MVP Award. His 42 long balls and 118 runs scored led the senior circuit. At 22 years old, he also led the majors in OBP (.460), SLG (.649), and OPS (1.109).

The Post-MVP Years

Harper crashed back to Earth a bit the following year, hitting just .243. Despite the dip in average, he maintained a high OBP, thanks to a major league-leading 20 intentional walks.

His average jumped back up to .319 last year, and he launched 29 homers in just 111 games. 2018 has seen a dip in batting average again, but as always, Harper continues to hit for power and draw a lot of walks. As of this writing, Harper leads the NL in homers, and has 11 more walks than the next closest hitter.

The Verdict

Through his first six major league seasons, Harper has been selected to five All-Star Games, won Rookie of the Year, and an MVP. He has lived up to the hype, and is one of the best power hitters of his generation. And by the way, he’s only 25. Like Harper has done plenty in his young career, Washington knocked this one out of the park.