May 06--Bryce Harper jumped back into the national spotlight Thursday, hitting three home runs in the Washington Nationals' 7-5 victory over the Miami Marlins.
Harper has been around so long -- Sports Illustrated tagged him as "The Chosen One" in 2009, when he was a high school sophomore -- that it is easy to forget just how young he is. He turned 22 in October.
Harper won the National League rookie of the year award in 2012, when the Angels' Mike Trout won the American League award. Trout is 14 months older than Harper.
The rookie of the year winners in 2013: Jose Fernandez of the Miami Marlins, three months older than Harper; and Wil Myers of the Tampa Bay Rays, two years older than Harper.
The rookie of the year winners in 2014: Jacob deGrom of the New York Mets, four years older than Harper; and Jose Abreu of the Chicago White Sox, five years older than Harper.
The rookie of the month winners for April 2015: Alex Guerrero of the Dodgers, six years older than Harper; and Devon Travis of the Toronto Blue Jays, one year older than Harper.
Dodgers center fielder Joc Pederson, the front-runner for NL rookie of the year, is six months older than Harper.
