Washington Nationals star Bryce Harper was the 2015 National League MVP, but he missed out on the batting title because of Miami Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon. It would be understandable if the Nationals slugger felt like he was robbed of the achievement because of the performance-enhancing-drug revelations regarding Gordon, but he blamed only himself in recent comments.
Major League Baseball announced early Friday morning that it suspended Gordon for 80 games because he tested positive for performance-enhancing substances.
Harper discussed the suspension, calling it “a disappointment,” per Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com, but he wasn’t quick to point fingers when it came to last year’s batting title.
"I lost the batting title. I lost it completely," he said. "I was hitting like .345 with three weeks left or so. I completely lost it. It was nothing to do with that. You’ve still got to hit the baseball. You’ve still got to perform. And he did that. I completely lost the batting title last year, so that’s all behind us."
Harper finished with a .330 batting average and was only .003 behind Gordon’s .333 mark. Zuckerman noted Harper lost the crown on the last day of the 2015 campaign and struggled down the stretch with a .162 average in his last 11 contests. During that span, his average fell from .343 to .330.
However, Harper was more productive in other areas, with 42 home runs, 99 RBI and a 1.109 OPS, compared to four long balls, 46 RBI and a .776 OPS for Gordon. Those power numbers helped Harper become the MVP, although his Nationals missed out on the playoffs.
This season, Harper was hitting .314 with nine home runs and 24 RBI through his first 70 at-bats, while Gordon was off to a slow start at .266 through his first 94 at-bats.
Losing Gordon will be a blow to Washington’s National League East rivals in Miami, but Harper seemed upset the second baseman will not be on the field, per Zuckerman:
He’s one of the best second basemen in the game, a big talent, a lot of fun to watch. It’s just disappointment, something you don’t want to see. Not good for the sport, not good for baseball. But he’s still one of the best players in the game and I’ve still got a lot of respect for him. But it’s definitely something that’s just tough.
It may be tough, but the Nationals probably would have been better off if Gordon wasn't on the field in their head-to-head matchups last year. The second baseman hit a blistering .342 in 19 contests against Washington in 2015 and helped the 71-91 Marlins beat the Nationals nine times.
Miami also swept the Nationals in April during a six-game losing streak for the latter. Washington ultimately finished seven games behind the New York Mets in the division and failed to live up to elevated expectations. Perhaps if the Nationals had beaten Gordon and the hapless Marlins more often last year, they could have challenged for a postseason spot late in the schedule.
At least Washington won’t have to worry about Gordon when it plays Miami seven times in May this year.
Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander didn’t think enough penalties were in place regarding players who use PEDs when he sent out a tweet after Gordon’s suspension (warning: contains NSFW language): “This PED s--t is killing me. If you test positive, you need to not play. You shouldn't be allowed to [affect] games while appealing.”
Zuckerman did point out MLB’s performance-enhancing-drug system “remains the strictest…in American professional sports.”
Harper said there are talks to come over whether the penalties are strict enough, per Zuckerman: “I think as players and as a union, we’ll speak about that.” The Nationals star also said it's important that the players stay together and open up communication with the union.
The union will likely have meetings and potentially respond to the situation, but for now, Harper has a clearer path to a potential batting title in 2016 with the reigning champion suspended for a large portion of the season.
His Nationals were also in first place in the division at 14-7 heading into Friday and are looking to reach the playoffs after that disappointing 2015 campaign. However, they are fresh off a three-game losing streak against the Philadelphia Phillies.
The sweep to Philadelphia underscored the fact Harper is not receiving enough help in the lineup. He is the only player on Washington who had more than three home runs entering play Friday, and not a single one of his teammates posted double-digit RBI totals through the first 21 games.
Considering Harper has to carry the Nationals this season if they want to reach the playoffs, it's ideal that he is not lamenting the missed opportunity of a batting title in 2015.
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