Bryce Harper

Bryce Aron Max Harper (born October 16, 1992) is an American professional baseball outfielder and first baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Washington Nationals.

One of the most heavily touted draft prospects in recent history, Harper has been cited as a "five-tool player." He left Las Vegas High School after his sophomore year so that he could attend the College of Southern Nevada, where he won the 2010 Golden Spikes Award. The Nationals selected Harper as the first overall pick in the 2010 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut with the Nationals on April 28, 2012, at 19 years old. Harper was selected for the 2012 All-Star Game, becoming the youngest position player (19 years, 268 days old on the day of the game) to play in an All-Star Game, and the second youngest overall (pitcher Dwight Gooden was 19 years, 237 days old when he played in the 1984 All-Star Game).

Harper won the National League (NL) Rookie of the Year Award in 2012 and tied for the NL lead in home runs in 2015. He was named the NL Most Valuable Player for 2015 by unanimous decision of the Baseball Writers' Association of America; at age 23, he was the youngest MLB player to win the award. As a free agent during the 2018–19 offseason, he signed a 13-year, $330 million contract with the Phillies, the richest contract in the history of North American sports at the time, which was eclipsed shortly thereafter by Mike Trout, and by several others later on. He won his second NL MVP award in 2021 with the Phillies. The next season, he helped lead the Phillies to their first postseason appearance in 11 years, and was instrumental in helping the team win its first pennant since 2009, winning the NLCS MVP in the process.