Bryce Harper named National League Player of the Week

Bryce Harper is the National League Player of the Week. (Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

DENVER — For a week in which he hardly could have given the Nationals’ offense more, Bryce Harper was named the National League Player of the Week on Monday, his fifth such award. Harper last earned that recognition in April of last season, part of an explosive first month many forgot when his production dipped at the start of May. The 24-year-old is off to another strong start with a league-leading .400 batting average and 1.340 OPS.

This week, Harper turned in a two-homer game that included a grand slam, and reached base in 18 of his 27 plate appearances — a .667 on-base percentage that qualifies as pretty good. He has displayed a continued willingness to hit the ball the other way, a sign of patience and a steady approach, both of which wavered at times during the 2016 season. That approach has complemented, but not undermined, his habit for slugging, as he leads the league in total bases. he has a .727 average against left-handed pitching, highest of any left-handed hitter with at least 10 plate appearances against them. If Harper had only faced lefties this season, he would still lead the majors in OPS.

Harper and current Los Angeles Angels’ shortstop Danny Espinosa are the only Nationals position players to earn Player of the Week honors since 2014, when Adam LaRoche and Jayson Werth both compiled award-winning weeks. Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg both won in 2015.

Harper’s quest to defend his Player of the Week title, should he choose to engage in a quest like that, begins with four games at Coors Field this week. Harper is a .340 career hitter in Denver, with a 1.040 OPS.