Philadelphia Philliesfirst basemanBryce Harper is putting together another excellent season, now in his 15th big-league season. Heading into this year, Harper was on a mission to prove he can remain an elite talent, and so far he has done just that.
Across 71 games, the 33-year-old veteran has shown no signs of slowing down, posting a .256 batting average, .364 on-base percentage, .860 OPS, 15 home runs and 39 RBIs.
His efforts have helped Philadelphia turn its season around after a disastrous start. The team sits at 38-33 heading into Monday's series opener against the Miami Marlins, with plenty of time to catch the Atlanta Braves at the top of the National League East.
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Unfortunately, Harper's season has not earned him enough votes for the All-Star Game, which is set to take place this year at Citizens Bank Park. For Phillies fans hoping to watch Harper represent the National League at home, Monday's update released by MLB is disappointing.
The update revealed that Harper currently sits third in voting, trailing both Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman and Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson.
Only the top two vote-getters at each position advance to Phase 2, meaning Harper is not currently in position to move on. Freeman leads all first basemen with 870,606 votes, with Olson sitting at 802,848.
Harper trails by a wide margin in third place, holding 651,792 votes. What makes it especially frustrating is that Harper is having an almost identical season to Freeman, yet sits well behind him in the count.
Phillies fans will have a chance to continue supporting Harper until voting officially ends next Thursday, and there is a sizable gap for him to make up.
If Harper somehow closes the gap, it would mark his ninth career All-Star selection. If not, he will still have an opportunity to be selected through the Player Ballot, giving him another path to play in front of his home crowd this summer.
