During Monday's Braves-Nationals extra inning marathon, Braves reliever Luis Avilan struck out Nationals phenom Bryce Harper swinging to end the 11th inning on an absolutely filthy curveball. After the inning-ending strikeout, the 19-year old Harper slammed his bat into the dirt around home plate and split the bat in half.
First off Bryce: take it down a notch. I know you're intense and all, but breaking bats intentionally isn't a good look. Secondly, just how frustrated is Harper right now? After a .619 OPS in July, Harper has just a .659 OPS in August and is striking out nearly 21% of the time. His OPS for the season is down to .742, and the teenage superstar is no longer thought of as the Rookie of the Year favorite in the National League by many, myself included. Thirdly…man, just how strong is he to split a bat in half just by smashing it on the ground?
