The Washington Nationals seem to be the darling of the baseball world this spring training, with many pundits labelling the club as the best in baseball.
But on Thursday there was some rare negative news surrounding the Nationals as Bryce Harper, one of their brightest stars, was voted the “most overrated player in MLB” in an anonymous poll of players conducted by ESPN The Magazine and reported by The Washington Post.
Harper, who hit .273/.344/.423 with 13 home runs and 32 RBIs across 100 games last season, received 41 per cent of the vote. Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig came in second at 15 per cent. Mike Trout was named the best player in the majors, earning 61 per cent of the vote from his peers.
This is second consecutive year that Harper — a former first overall pick — has placed No. 1 in the poll. The 22-year-old has battled injuries over his three-year career, and has played in less than 120 games over the last two seasons.
This poll doesn’t come at a particularly good time for Harper, who ticked off manager Matt Williams by reacting slowly to a ball hit to him in right field during a spring training game against the Astros on Monday.
As the runner was rounding first, trying to stretch a clear single into a double, Harper quickly recovered and fired a strike at second base to catch the runner, just in time.
Williams told reporters that Harper “needs to get to that ball quicker.” Meanwhile, Harper contends that he was playing possum the whole time, trying to trick the runner into taking second base.
Check out the video below and see for yourself. Do you agree with Williams?
