Bryce Harper deserves MVP in historic season

During this final homestand, the Nationals began a campaign promoting 22-year-old sensation Bryce Harper for National League MVP. They loaded a one-page document full of mind-boggling statistics comparing Harper to his contemporaries, and in some cases, displaying prowess over some of the game's most legendary figures.

Whether the Pope's arrival to D.C. later today can help the Nats miraculously turn a 6 1/2-game deficit into a NL East crown in the next 13 days should be irrelevant for Harper's case. By the way, it's likely easier to turn water into wine.

Before rattling off some of Harper's numbers, consider where the Nationals would even stand without their young slugger this year after the rash of injuries the team suffered throughout the season. Harper, who battled his own bad luck with injuries the last two years, has remained in the lineup all season, missing just seven games with minor scrapes.

If Denard Span and Anthony Rendon didn't have their seasons repeatedly interrupted with trips to the disabled list, we are likely tracking the first Triple Crown in the National League since Joe Medwick with the Cardinals in 1937. Harper's 95 RBIs are essentially the only major offensive statistic on his 2015 resume that ranks outside the top two in the league. His 95 RBIs are fourth-best in the NL, 19 behind the leader, Colorado's Nolan Arenado.

But, again, consider Arenado's chances for producing runs versus Harper's. The former has walked only 29 times and racked up 580 at-bats. Meanwhile, teams repeatedly pitched around Harper all season, choosing to deal with the beat-up and inconsistent Nats lineup while walking the slugger 115 times, second-most in the NL. Harper has just 484 at-bats. Not to mention that Arenado has All-Star Carlos Gonzalez with him and the two play half of their games in a launching pad.

Harper's .343/.470/.674 slash line leads the majors. In fact, his .470 on-base percentage is currently the best in baseball since future Hall of Famer Chipper Jones in 2008 (.470). Only Barry Bonds' 2004 NL MVP season produced better slugging percentage (.812), OPS (1.422) and OPS+ (263) to Harper's .674, 1.143 and 206 numbers.

Harper's 41 homers lead the NL and place him third in the majors, two back of the Orioles' Chris Davis. And Harper's 116 runs scored and 9.6 WAR are tops in the bigs.

Harper, who was just 17 years old when the Nats made him the top overall pick in 2010, repeatedly warned the public of his potential once he was fully healthy. Harper is now rewriting the record books, becoming the only player in major league history with at least 41 home runs and 115 walks in a season age 22 or younger. Throw in his 116 run scored and he's the only player to accomplish all three of those lofty marks at 22 in the game's history.

Only the iconic Ted Williams' 1941 season produced a better on-base percentage (.553), slugging percentage (.735), OPS (1.287) and OPS+ (235) at age 22 than what Harper has accomplished this season.

The scary part for the rest of the league is that Harper's season could've been even better had he been surrounded by consistent production in the Nationals lineup.

So, while the Nats will most likely be left on the outside looking in for the playoffs, Harper should take home a nice consolation prize for the game's highest individual honor.

Information from BaseballReference.com, Fangraphs.com and Elias Sports Bureau was used.