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Bryce Harper again proves he’s got all-star hair

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July 10, 2017 at 1:38 p.m. EDT
Bryce Harper loses his helmet while following through on an RBI single in the eighth inning on Sunday. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

During the course of a baseball game, Bryce Harper’s batting helmet falls off his head far more often than the average player. Nobody, to my knowledge, tracks such occurrences, but it’s a common sight to see the Nationals outfielder’s plastic lid fly off as he runs the bases or takes a violent swing in the batter’s box. Sometimes, Harper will free his flowing hair from the confines of its protective shell on his own volition, such as when he’s frustrated after making an out or charges the mound and needs something to throw at the pitcher who just drilled him with a fastball.

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This isn’t a new development.

“Every time,” Harper told MLB Network back in 2014 of his tendency to lose his helmet. “I mean, it comes off every time. Everybody always talks to me — yeah, you need to get a chin strap, or a littler helmet. I’ve tried a 7, I’ve tried a 7 1/8, I’ve tried a 7 3/4. I’ve tried every helmet in the league, I swear. I mean, all I need to do is try a catcher’s helmet. Get one of those full face masks and put that on. That would probably help me running into things, too, if I had the full face mask on there. That’d be perfect. Gollllly.”

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The issue came up again in Post columnist Thomas Boswell’s weekly chat on Monday, when someone who may have watched Sunday’s Nationals game asked about Harper’s potentially hazardous helmet.

Q: Harper’s helmet
I can’t believe I’m actually typing this as a concern…but is it really too much to ask that Bryce get a helmet that fits? Or get a haircut? Whatever he needs to do to avoid his helmet falling over his eyes and then off on every swing? I honest to god am not sure it’s insane to say it could interfere with his hitting.

The screenshot above is of Harper’s follow-through on an RBI single in the eighth inning on Sunday. The question posed would seem to be a reasonable one, and Boswell’s answer was a gem.

A: Thomas Boswell
We have to get our priorities in the right order.
First priority: All hats and helmets must fly off the Harper head the maximum number of times so that the Harper Hair, famous worldwide, can get the maximum exposure, as well as the Harper Hair Flip and the run-out-from-under-my-helmet Harper Runs Bases With Hair on Fire.
Secondary priority: Everything else.
Come on, keep things straight, please.

Bryce Harper looks just like his helmet-less bobblehead

Harper — and his well-coiffed, helmet-free hair — dropped by the All-Star Game FanFest in Miami on Monday and answered questions from a group of kids.

It’s unclear if Harper fielded any more questions about his inability to keep his helmet on his head, but one youngster wanted to know if Harper would sign with the Cubs as a free agent after the 2018 season. Harper declined to comment and referred the question to the Racing Presidents and Screech.

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