Pressure will be on Harper to return to peak form in 2017

As we transition into offseason mode here, we're reviewing each significant player on the Nationals roster. We continue today with Bryce Harper, who struggled to duplicate his MVP performance from 2015, perhaps in part because of a physical ailment.

PLAYER REVIEW: BRYCE HARPER

Age on opening day 2017: 24

How acquired: First-round pick, 2010 draft

MLB service time: 4 years, 159 days

2016 salary: $5 million

Contract status: Arbitration-eligible in 2017, free agent in 2019

2016 stats: 147 G, 627 PA, 506 AB, 84 R, 123 H, 24 2B, 2 3B, 24 HR, 86 RBI, 21 SB, 10 CS, 108 BB, 117 SO, .243 AVG, .373 OBP, .441 SLG, .817 OPS, 1.6 WAR

Quotable: "We hate to see him struggle like this, but after a while it seems like the more you give and the more advice you give - we've all been there at some point in time - it seems just to be more confusing than anything. The main thing I can say is just try to simplify it best you can. Just remember what it was like, the feeling it was like when we were really getting down." - Dusty Baker on Bryce Harper

2016 analysis: Expectations were sky-high for Bryce Harper when he took the field on opening day. And a few weeks in, the reigning National League MVP looked very much like a guy intent on winning it again. Harper homered nine times in his first 19 games, batting .328 with 24 RBIs and a 1.274 OPS, earning NL Player of the Month honors in April.

Then came a slump during a tough road trip to St. Louis, Kansas City and Chicago. During the last leg of that trip, Cubs manager Joe Maddon walked Harper 13 times in four games ... all four ending in losses for the Nationals.

Perhaps frustrated by all that, Harper began expanding his strike zone and suddenly was chasing pitches he was able to take one year earlier. Throw in an ailment that affected at least his neck and possibly his right shoulder, and Harper found himself in a surprising, long-term slump. Over his final 128 games, Harper hit just .231 with 15 homers, 62 RBIs and a .747 OPS.

Harper did eventually rediscover his patient approach at the plate - his 17.2 percent walk rate was down only slightly from his 19 percent rate in 2015 - but he never did rediscover his power stroke. Unable to drive the ball with authority, perhaps due in part to a physical limitation, he wound up focusing more on working the count, reaching base and hitting the ball to the opposite field during a postseason series in which he posted a .458 on-base percentage but only one extra-base hit and one RBI.

2017 outlook: There will be a simple, burning question facing Harper when he prepares for the 2017 season: Was his dramatic drop-off in production this year a product of injury simply or poor performance? If it was an injury, there should be ample reason to believe a healthy Harper will be a much more productive Harper in 2017. If, however, it wasn't due to any physical ailment, then the Nationals have a problem on their hands.

Harper is going to have to prove he can drive the outside pitch to the opposite field again, just as he did in 2015, instead of letting his front shoulder fly open and his legs lose all balance when he swings. Opposing pitchers simply weren't willing to throw anything over the plate or on the inside corner to Harper all summer, fully recognizing he couldn't do anything with pitches on the outside corner. And they'll continue to do so until he proves otherwise.

In the larger picture, Harper will be entering (remarkably) his sixth big league season with the Nationals. He's still only 24, but the club holds only two more seasons of control over him before he can become a free agent. Whatever thought there was last winter of a mega-extension between the two sides probably will die down this winter, with Harper and agent Scott Boras smart enough not to sign that kind of deal coming off such a down season.

There's still a whole lot of time for things to change, and there's still valid reason to hope the Nats keep Harper beyond the 2018 season. But the rose is off the bloom a bit, and there will be increased pressure on the slugger to return to peak form after this frustrating campaign.