Bryce Harper

Bryce Harper married his girlfriend Kayla Varner in 2016.

He is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

He attributes his work ethic to his father, Ron, who is an ironworker in Las Vegas. His father is a very hardworking and disciplined person and Bryce strives to emulate these qualities.

Bryce Aaron Maz Harper was born on 16th October 1992 in Las Vegas, Nevada, to Ron and Sheri Harper. He has an older brother named Bryan.

He studied at Las Vegas High School, and in October 2009, he earned his General Educational Development (GED). This made him eligible for the June 2010 amateur draft, which would allow him to begin his professional career in baseball.

In 2010, Harper enrolled at the College of Southern Nevada of the Scenic West Athletic Conference. He made an impression by shattering the school’s previous record of 12 home runs by hitting 31. He was, therefore, named the SWAC Player of the Year.

In the West district finals of the 2010 NJCAA World Series, he performed well, scoring 6-for-7 with 5 RBIs and hit for the cycle. On 2nd June, he was ejected from a National Junior College World Series Game, after a third strike was called by home plate umpire Don Gilmore.

As it was his second ejection of the year, it resulted in a two-game suspension for him. This put an end to his amateur career. However, due to his competence and capability, he won the 2010 Golden Spikes Award.

In the 2010 MLB Draft, Bryce Harper was drafted by the Washington Nationals as the number one pick. They eventually agreed to a 5-year contract worth $ 9.9 million. He was next selected to take part in the Arizona Fall League as a member of the Scottsdale Scorpions. This made him the second youngest player in the history of the league. He batted .343 and slugged .729 and led the Scorpions to a victory in the 2010 Arizona Fall League Championship.

He next played in the South Atlantic Minor League, for the team Hagerstown Suns. He hit .480, collected 7 home runs, and achieved 10 doubles and 23 RBIs. As his popularity grew, he was also selected to represent the United States in the 2011 All Star Game weekend.

He made his MLB debut with the Washington Nationals in 2012, in a match against the Los Angeles Dodgers. His performance was quite appreciated, and he was named the National League Rookie of the Month in May. He continued to perform well throughout the rest of the season and was named the National League Rookie of the Year.

During the opening day of the 2013 season, he hit two home runs in a game against the Miami Marlins. At the age of 20, he became the youngest major league player to have hit two home runs in his team’s first game of the season.

After he hit 13 home runs in just 58 games, he was also selected to take part in the 2013 Home Run Derby. He played 118 games in the entire season in which he hit .274/.368/.486 with 20 Home Runs, .58 RBI and 47 XBH. He successfully underwent a left knee surgery during the off-season, in order to remove a bursa sac.

The most important awards and honors received by Bryce Harper include the ‘Golden Spikes Award’ in 2010, the ‘NL Rookie of the Year’ in 2011, the ‘NL Hank Aaron Award’ in 2015, ‘The Silver Slugger Award’ in 2015, and the ‘NL Most Valuable Player Award’ in 2015.