Bryce Harper named National League Player of the Week

No surprise here: Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper has been named National League Player of the Week after hitting .455 with six homers, 13 RBIs, a 1.318 slugging percentage and 29 total bases last week.

Harper' three-home run game against the Marlins on Wednesday made him the fourth Nationals player to accomplish the feat in the team's D.C. history, joining Alfonso Soriano, Adam Dunn and Ryan Zimmerman.

Two days later, the 22-year-old crushed two more homers against the Braves to become the youngest player in Major League Baseball history to hit five homers over consecutive games.

And the encore was a dramatic two-run walk-off blast in the bottom of the ninth to again beat the Braves on Saturday. Harper, who thrives in the spotlight, now is the youngest player ever to hit three walk-off homers before his 24th birthday. Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, the former Nats manager, is the only man to ever hit four walk-off homers prior to turning 24.

"That's how I should be, plain and simple," Harper said. "That's how I should be. That's how I expect myself to play."

Harper leads the NL with 11 homers and is second-best in the majors to Seattle's Nelson Cruz, who has 14. Harper is batting .300 with a team-high 72 total bases and 28 RBIs while continuing to rank first in the league in walks with 28.

"Just sticking with my plan," Harper said. "Going up there and not trying to do too much. If I get a pitch to drive, just try to unleash on it. Just try to have quality ABs. If I can get on base in any way, then I wanna get on base. If that's walking, if that's a double in the gap, a single through the hole, that's all I care (about)."