All the mind-blowing GIFs that show why Bryce Harper is the unanimous 2015 NL MVP
Celebrate Harper's NL MVP win with his very best GIFs
At this point, Bryce Harper feels like a seasoned vet -- he's been the Next Big Thing on the baseball landscape for years, and plus, his cagey veteran beard game remains on point. So you get almost used to him doing consistently bonkers stuff, and then you realize: He just turned 23. And he's spending his time like any other recent college graduate -- like slashing .330/.460/.649 with 42 dingers, some of which were basically popups:
And on Thursday, he became the fourth-youngest MVP in history, taking home the National League crown unanimously. Since years from now historians will speak of them in hushed tones, it is our solemn duty to chronicle his awesome 2015 in the only way we know how: lots and lots of GIFs. Like, for example ...
That time he waged war on the upper deck at Nationals Park
Harper was actually hitting just .245 coming into Washington's May 6 game against the Marlins. He then proceeded to take out that frustration on every baseball in sight:
And he followed it up with a walk-off (and a mighty bat flip)
Two days later, with the Braves in town, Harper launched two more dingers. The next day, clearly slacking off, he would only hit one. But hey, at least it was a walk-off:
When he nearly threw out a runner at home ... from the warning track
"But wait," you're saying, "the runner was safe. Big deal!" Counterpoint:
And, if actually throwing out baserunners is more your speed, he did this to Ryan Braun the very next day:
His 500th hit? A home run, of course
According to the statistical record, there were Bryce Harper at-bats that didn't end in home runs, although given the available evidence we find that pretty hard to believe. Case in point: When Bryce was sitting on 499 hits, he decided to get No. 500 in style:
Not even the laws of physics could slow him down
The mark of a true MVP? An ability to bend the universe to his whim/break a third baseman's ankles:
And he did it all with some truly fantastic hair
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