WASHINGTON — Bryce Harper has had enough ups and downs for a full season, and it isn't even the All-Star Break yet.
Never was this more evident than in the Washington Nationals clubhouse after their 5-4 win over the San Diego Padres on Saturday. Harper had just gone 1-for-2 with three RBIs.
But the clubhouse television, tuned to MLB Network, told another tale.
"Bryce Harper has been so bad since coming off the disabled list," the TV resonated throughout the otherwise silent room.
A few feet away from the TV sat Harper, who moments earlier found out he would be playing in the July 16 All-Star Game — the beneficiary of a late rally to surpass Justin Upton of the Atlanta Braves and win the last outfield starting spot.
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"You can't win, man," said teammate Jayson Werth, who, like Harper, overheard.
It's true. He can't.
He went through a career-long 0-for-19 hitless streak after hitting a home run in his first at-bat back from the disabled list. Harper missed 31 games with left knee bursitis after trying and failing to convince himself and the Washington higher-ups that he could remain in the lineup.
If he hadn't gotten injured, Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond said Harper would be "breaking records" this year. Instead, he has to hear television anchors say how bad he has been recently, despite the All-Star invitation.
Friday night, after manager Davey Johnson had said he planned on sitting Harper for the remaining two games of the Padres series, Harper sent Johnson a text message containing an ultimatum: Play me or trade me. Johnson said he had no choice but to put him in the lineup — he couldn't do without his 20-year-old slugger. After Saturday's win, Harper said he was "pretty serious" about what he had texted Johnson.
That's how badly Harper wants to be on the field helping a Nationals team that desperately needs him. Washington has struggled to score runs this season. Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman said, sounding like a broken record, that they've needed to get healthy before gaining ground on the first-place Braves. The Nationals have had other injuries too, but none more key than the one to Harper.
But despite the injury and the slump, Harper is an All-Star once again.
"I'm very blessed to be part of that, and I'm just very excited," Harper said of his selection. "I've got to thank the fans of D.C. and (his hometown of) Las Vegas and everywhere else that voted me in."
He'll become the first player to ever play in two mid-summer classics before his 21stbirthday. The only players younger than Harper to have started an All-Star Game are Hall of Famer Al Kaline in 1955 and Ken Griffey Jr. in 1990.
Last season, Harper's rookie campaign, he made the team as a reserve and went 0-for-1 with a walk. This year, he'll get to trot out with the starters, no longer the hot rookie simply tapped for a bench spot.
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