PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Phillies officially had the National League's Most Valuable Player this past season.
On Thursday evening, Phillies Hall-of-Famer Mike Schmidt announced that outfielder Bryce Harper had taken home the 2021 N.L. Most Valuable Player Award.
He narrowly beat out San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis, Jr. and Washington Nationals outfielder, Juan Soto, for the crown.
Schmidt, a three-time winner of the award himself, presented Harper with the award in an announcement on MLB Network.
Harper, 29, is the first Phillies player to earn the N.L. MVP award since the franchise's all-time hits leader, Jimmy Rollins, won it in 2007. He is the sixth player in the Phillies entire history to win the award.
It is the second time Harper has won the N.L. MVP, earning his first in 2015. He was also the 2012 N.L. Rookie of the Year, and has won two Silver Slugger awards in his career.
This season, Harper led the National League in on-base plus slugging percentage, a statistic used to measure how often a batter gets on base and hits with power, which many analysts around the game weigh heavily today.
He also led the league in doubles with 42 and slugging percentage with .615.
Over his 141 games with the Phillies in 2021, Harper scored 100 runs, hit 35 home runs, and drove in 84 runs. He even had 10 outfield assists, gunning out runners from his every day home in right field.
Despite the effort, the Phillies finished with an 82-80 mark, good for second place in the N.L. East.
The Phillies will look to build around Harper, catcher J.T. Realmuto, and N.L. Cy Young finalist pitcher Zack Wheeler as the team moves forward with its offseason moves.
