Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper named NL Player of the Month for May
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Bryce Harper made headlines in May for helping a New Jersey high school senior ask his date to prom. On the field, Harper's bat came alive to help the Philadelphia Phillies to a 20-7 month.
MLB on Monday named Harper the National League Player of the Month for May. Harper is the second Phillie to take home Player of the Month honors this season. Ranger Suárez was the NL's Pitcher of the Month for March and April.
The 31-year-old Harper hit .313/.407/.583 with a .990 on-base plus slugging (OPS), five doubles, seven home runs, 24 RBIs, 16 walks, 19 runs scored, 30 hits and a 1.4 fWAR in 26 games.
Harper led the NL in OPS and RBIs and was tied for first in homers and fWAR in May.
The two-time NL MVP has been a key cog in the Phillies' machine this season. Philadelphia enters Monday with the best record in the NL at 41-19 and second-best in MLB, behind the New York Yankees (42-19).
The Phillies won 20 games in May, mostly without star shortstop Trea Turner. Turner suffered a hamstring strain on May 3, but shortstop Edmundo Sosa has more than held his own filling in.
Sosa nearly matched Harper's May, slugging .597 with a .972 OPS in 23 games. Sosa hit .306 with three homers, four doubles, four triples, 22 hits and 17 runs scored last month. A free swinger, Sosa also walked six times, the most he's ever had in a month in his career.
On Monday night, the Phillies welcome Rhys Hoskins back to Philadelphia for the first time since he signed with the Milwaukee Brewers. Harper's transition to first base closed the book on Hoskins' career as a Phillie.
Later this week, Harper and the Phillies are off to London for a two-game series against the New York Mets as part of MLB's World Tour.
Expect Harper to be in the middle of it all.
