Bryce Harper has, in so many ways, lived up to the hype.
This is a guy who left high school extra early to enroll in a junior college so that he could get to the MLB Draft ahead of schedule, and there was never any doubt in anyone's mind that it was the right move, because everyone knew the whole time he'd be the No. 1 overall pick.
And aside from some injuries that tied pretty distinctly into Harper's all-out play style, he's been the player he was supposed to be.
Harper slugs prodigious home runs, makes epic throws and has won a lot of baseball games.
But he's never won a World Series.
And this year, with the Philadelphia Phillies, is his chance.
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Why Bryce Harper is facing unprecedented playoff pressure
Harper has teammates on these Phillies who have won the World Series, including Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner.
But of the stars, Harper hasn't. And he wants one.
MLB.com ranks the Phillies as the best team in its postseason power rankings.
"Harper's career is going to feel incomplete without a ring," MLB.com's Will Leitch writes. "And this may be as good a chance as he’ll ever have."
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Of course the rest of the Phillies roster wants to win it all, too.
But Harper is the superstar who hasn't gotten it done yet. So he'll certainly know he's being called upon to shine.
And maybe, Harper will live up to the hype once again.
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