Bryce Harper

Harper has been married to Kayla Varner since December 2016. They have two sons and two daughters. Harper is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

His older brother, Bryan Harper, was a left-handed pitcher who played in the Washington Nationals organization and in the minor leagues from 2011 to 2018. Harper established the foundation Harper's Heroes in 2013 to assist families affected by childhood cancer.

Harper began playing baseball at three years old and competed on travel teams before turning 10. As a youth, he played catcher and pitcher. In 2009, while attending Las Vegas High School, he hit .626 and received Baseball America's High School Player of the Year award. At age 16, he hit a 502-foot home run at Tropicana Field, described as the longest home run hit at the Tampa Bay Rays' home ballpark.

After completing his sophomore year of high school, Harper earned a GED and enrolled at the College of Southern Nevada. In 2010, he hit 31 home runs in 66 games, breaking the school's previous single-season record of 12, and was named Scenic West Athletic Conference Player of the Year. He also won the Golden Spikes Award, which recognizes the top amateur baseball player in the United States.

The Washington Nationals selected Harper first overall in the 2010 MLB draft. Although he had primarily played catcher, the Nationals shifted him to the outfield as a professional. He played one full minor-league season in 2011 before beginning the 2012 season with Triple-A Syracuse.

Harper made his major-league debut for the Washington Nationals on April 28, 2012, at age 19. He was selected for the 2012 All-Star Game, becoming the youngest position player to play in an All-Star Game, and won the National League Rookie of the Year Award after hitting 22 home runs. In 2013, he became the youngest player to hit two home runs on Opening Day and reached the final round of the Home Run Derby.

Injuries limited Harper in 2014, when he missed significant time after tearing the ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb. He returned strongly in the postseason, hitting three home runs against the San Francisco Giants. His breakthrough came in 2015, when he hit .330 with 42 home runs, 118 runs, a .460 on-base percentage and a .649 slugging percentage. He was unanimously named National League MVP, becoming the youngest player to win the award.

Harper continued to produce All-Star seasons in Washington, despite injuries and occasional suspensions connected to on-field confrontations. In 2016, he was walked six times in one game against the Chicago Cubs, tying a Major League Baseball record. In 2017, he hit 29 home runs before a knee injury, and in 2018 he won the Home Run Derby at Nationals Park with his father, Ron, pitching to him.

Harper became a free agent after the 2018 season and signed with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2019. In his first season with Philadelphia, he hit 35 home runs and drove in 114 runs. His first Phillies hit was a 465-foot home run against the Atlanta Braves, and he later hit a walk-off grand slam against the Chicago Cubs.

Harper won his second National League MVP award in 2021 after batting .309 with 35 home runs and leading the major leagues in slugging percentage. He also won the Hank Aaron Award, the Silver Slugger Award and a place on the All-MLB First Team.

In 2022, a right-elbow ligament injury and a fractured left thumb restricted his playing time and led to an extended stint as a designated hitter. He returned for the postseason and helped the Phillies reach the World Series by hitting the decisive two-run home run in the eighth inning of Game 5 of the National League Championship Series. Harper was named NLCS MVP, while the Phillies lost the World Series to the Houston Astros.

Harper underwent Tommy John surgery after the 2022 season but returned in May 2023, earlier than expected. To reduce the demands on his throwing arm, he began playing first base and designated hitter. He won Silver Slugger Awards in 2023 and 2024, and in 2024 became the fourth player in MLB history to win a Silver Slugger at three different positions. In 2025, he recorded his 1,000th RBI and became the youngest active player to reach 350 career home runs.