On those inside-the-zone swings, he’s making contact at almost exactly the same rate, so he’s not missing hitters’ pitches. His Z-Swing% on fastballs is up from 67.0% to 72.1%, and his O-Swing% on fastballs has increased as well, from 18.6% to 22.8%. Harper’s swinging at considerably more fastballs than last season, whether they’re inside the zone or outside of it. The results being what they are, what’s differed in the approach to change those results as compared to last season? So, we can’t just expect a positive regression here. It probably wasn’t fair to expect one out of every three fastballs hit to the outfield to continue to sail over the fence, but a HR/FB% of 18.2% is still above league average (15% this season). The chart above shows that despite squaring the ball up nearly as well on fastballs, and actually being more lucky on balls in play, Harper’s performance against fastballs has plummeted. His change in performance on those pitches? Now that’s staggering. He’s seen 509 four-seamers this season–over one-third of the pitches he’s faced. Hitters see four-seam fastballs more than any other pitch, and that’s no exception even for a guy as feared as Harper. Those are the results on a holistic, every plate-appearance level, and they’re worse but not hugely so. So, we’ve established that, no matter where or how you look, Harper’s output has decreased. OPS+ and wRC+ both evaluate a batter’s results, whereas DRC+ attempts to be more predictive, and the latter stat shows that Harper’s performance has genuinely declined and isn’t just the result of bad luck. You probably knew that, though, and I’m not here to tell you what you already know! Let’s get a little more advanced.īy the “plus” stats, each of which set the league average at 100, with those above 100 being better than league average (110 would be 10% better than league average, for example), Harper’s worsened as well: Stat Looking at the surface-level stats, when compared to last year, his triple-slash stats are down across the board his slash-line in 2018 was. It’s only been 80 games, and Harper can certainly be allowed something of a grace period as he adjusts to a new clubhouse, city and coaching staff, but regardless, his trends are alarming. 364 OBP: pretty good! 23 doubles: pretty good! But, when your name is Bryce Harper, and you own the biggest free agent contract in major-league history … not too long after having one of the best seasons in major-league history … not too long after being perhaps the most hyped draft prospect in major-league history, that feels like a disappointment. Last month, Under Armour said it expected to make $5 billion in revenue in 2016.13 homers: pretty good!. The brand also counts NFL MVP Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers and NHL MVP Montreal goaltender Carey Price as endorsers, along with New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey and Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps. It has Golden State Warriors guard and reigning NBA MVP Stephen Curry signed through 2024 and PGA Tour Player of the Year Jordan Spieth under contract through 2025. In 2015, at age 23, he became the youngest player to unanimously win an MVP award.īy retaining Harper, Under Armour continues its hold on recent MVP endorsers. He made it to the big leagues a year later.Īt age 19, Harper became the youngest player to be selected to the All-Star Game and went on to win National League Rookie of the Year. At the time the brand signed him, he was playing on the team's Class A affiliate. Under Armour signed Harper in April 2011, 10 months after the Nationals made him the first overall pick in the Major League Baseball draft. The company previously sold shirts with a phrase Harper filed to trademark - "That's A Clown Question, Bro." Harper abandoned his pursuit of that trademark in 2014. The brand, which has had Harper as an endorser for five years, will begin selling Harper's first signature cleat, the Under Armour Harper One, in July. Under Armour announced earlier Tuesday that Harper signed a multiyear extension but said that terms, including the length of the deal and compensation, would not be disclosed. — - Washington Nationals star Bryce Harper has signed a 10-year extension with Under Armour that is believed to be the largest endorsement deal in history for a baseball player, a source with knowledge of the deal told ESPN.
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