Bryce One HR Short of My Favorite, Tim Raines

Bryce One HR Short of My Favorite, Tim Raines

I miscounted on my last blog post about the rank of the Bryce Bomber. He was not at 168 when I posted it.

He is now up to 169 total. Tim Raines, my favorite all time player, 1979-2002, hit a total of 170 home runs in a 23 year career. But Raines was a lead-off hitter, a speedy run scorer. He made the Hall of Fame last year, 2017. He was a dominant scorer.

Bryce can score, but he is more of a run producer; and with that production is the inherent power in his swing. This season Harper is hitting a disappointing .230, with a decent  on-base percentage (.385), which is what Raines did for his career. That is good enough for the Hall of Fame for a guy who gets on base. Moves the line. Wins games.

Now Bryce is moving up to 427 all time, in his seventh year. He is hitting home runs at a really good pace, but not getting enough hits. It seems his strike outs are up; not enough contact on pitches. The Nats are doing all right overall. His teams are usually winners.

427.	Bryce Harper (7, 25)	169	L	HR Log
	Ramon Hernandez (15)	169	R	HR Log
	Lloyd Moseby (12)	169	L	HR Log
	Pete O'Brien (12)	169	L	HR Log
	Alex Rios (12)	169	R	HR Log
	Enos Slaughter+ (19)	169	L	HR Log
	Ty Wigginton (12)	169	R	HR Log

These guys took longer to get here, ranging in careers from 12 to 19 years. Some were not necessarily power hitters, like Raines, who had some power but his specialty was getting on base and moving on the paths. Slaughter, a multiple-time MVP candidate with the Saint Louis Cardinals, would have likely had 30 to 50 more home runs if he had not gone into 3 years of military service during World War II. Talk about an athletic hero to emulate or honor! Winnington was a major league product of only the 21st century, as was Alex Rios, and almost Ramon Hernandez who became a major leaguer first in 1999.