Bryce Harper, the reigning National League MVP, is off to a far better start this season.
On Tuesday, Harper slugged a grand slam off Miami Marlins left-hander Chris Narveson in the seventh inning in the Nationals' 7-0 win. It's just six days removed from his first career grand slam -- and 100th home run of his career.
On Thursday, Harper connected for his eighth home run off Miami Marlins' Tom Koehler.
When Harper, 23, won the MVP, he did not hit his eighth homer until May 6.
"What he's doing is pretty special," teammate Jayson Werth told reporters Tuesday night. "He has really coming into his own. He's one of the best players in the game, and he's got good guys around him too. That helps."
Harper's eighth home run -- six in the last eight games -- ties Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story. He even has more home runs (8) than strikeouts (6).
Early indications show Harper's discipline at the plate has vastly improved.
According to PITCHF/x data at FanGraphs, Harper is making more contact on pitches in the strike zone and swinging at fewer pitches out of the zone.
That's reflected in perhaps his most remarkable statistic: Harper has more home runs - seven - than his six strikeouts. Perhaps that's an impossible pace to maintain, but such a combination of plate discipline and power would put Harper in the company of sluggers like Miguel Cabrera, who in his consecutive AL MVP seasons of 2012 and '13 hit 44 home runs - and struck out just 98 and 94 times, respectively.
A comparison of Harper's first 15 games:
Statistic: 2016 | 2015
Home runs: 8 | 4
RBI: 22 | 8
Batting average: .340 | .255
Slugging percentage: .900 | .510
On-base plus slugging percentage: 1.326 | .925
Strikeout percentage: 10.0% | 32.3%
