WATCH: Bryce Harper exchanges autograph for 40th home-run ball
Harper's 40th homer at age 22 put him in select company, and trading an autographed ball for the historic one makes him a shrewd -- but swell -- guy.
Bryce Harper made a great trade Wednesday night, and he's not even a general manager.
After hitting his 40th home run of the 2015 season in the seventh inning, Harper brought a different ball to his position in right field, autographed it and made an exchange with the fan who caught the homer. Pretty neat. Harper's 40th home run puts him in select company: Only six other players (Eddie Matthews twice) hit at least 40 homers in a season at age 22 or younger. Harper turns 23 in a month.
| 40-homer season, age 22 or younger | |||
| Player -- Home Runs | Team | Year | Age |
| Eddie Matthews -- 47 | Braves | 1953 | 21 |
| Joe DiMaggio -- 46 | Yankees | 1946 | 22 |
| Johnny Bench -- 45 | Reds | 1970 | 22 |
| Juan Gonzalez -- 43 | Rangers | 1992 | 22 |
| Alex Rodriguez -- 42 | Mariners | 1998 | 22 |
| Mel Ott -- 42 | Giants | 1929 | 20 |
| Eddie Matthews -- 40 | Braves | 1954 | 22 |
| Bryce Harper -- 40 | Nationals | 2015 | 22 |
| Source: Baseball Reference.com |
Harper hit a towering drive to right that just had enough to clear the tall fence, and the fan -- who was wearing a spectacular powder blue Phillies' Steve Carlton throwback jersey -- made a nice play in catching it cleanly in the front row at Citizens Bank Park. He would not keep the ball, though.
Watch the deal go down:
Hey, watch the home run too:
Harper's Nationals beat the Phillies 12-2 for their fourth straight victory, but at 7 1/2 games out of first place with about 2 1/2 weeks left in the regular season, probably are out of time to make the playoffs. Still, there's Harper, who has emerged as the best player in the National League, being all-around great and setting franchise standards. He also made weird history earlier this season, walking four times and scoring four more (adding an RBI) -- the only player to compile such a line since at least 1914. This 40-home run thing is easier to digest. He's one part of the team the Nationals won't have to address in the offseason.
He's also become a shrewd dealmaker, which Washington, D.C. could use more of, if you catch my drift.
