CHAPTER 1 A YOUNG STAR the the 2016 Major League Baseball MLB season had just begun Bryce Harper stood in front of the home dugout at Nationals Park His Washington Nationals were playing in their home opener They faced the Miami Marlins It wasn't just any home opener for Harper He had been named the Most Valuable Player MVP of the National League for the 2015 season A full stadium of Nationals fans was there to celebrate Bryce Harper follows through on a swing during the Nationals 2016 home opener A Young Star
In 2009 Bryce was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine That is pretty unusual for a high school athlete It was the first time many fans heard about the future star Bryce said he wanted to play in the majors by 18 or 19 The MVP Award is given to the best player in each league Writers who cover baseball vote on it The award is one of the greatest honors a player can receive Harper was just 23 years old He was the youngest player ever to receive every first place vote He had a great season in 2015 Harper had a 330 batting average He added 42 home runs Harper's teammates watched him play great all season Now they watched and cheered from the dugout as he received the MVP He proudly held the award over his head Fans chanted MVP MVP Harper couldn't help but smile It was a special day for Harper and the Nationals And he sent the fans home with another memory He hit a home run in the seventh inning Bryce Harper was born on October 16 1992 He grew up in Las Vegas Nevada Baseball was a big part of his life from a young age His older brother Bryan played the game too 6 Bryce Harper
Bryce rounds the bases during his sophomore year at Las Vegas High School Their father worked in construction Ron Harper laid steel in many of the city's hotels But he also liked to coach baseball He had a special drill to help his sons develop a great batting eye He would pitch sunflower seeds for Bryce and Bryan to hit Bryce liked baseball He wanted to play just like Bryan So his parents signed him up for T ball when he was three years old He played against kids who were twice his age Bryce played other sports too But he knew he wanted to be an MLB player Baseball America magazine called him A Young Star
