Major League Baseball periodically releases a list of the 20 most popular player jerseys sold via its online shop, Bryce Harper has been a fixture on the list since his debut in 2012.
But his popularity is in decline, at least by that measure.
Harper stands 17th on the list released Thursday, which covers jerseys sold through the first half of the 2014 season. That’s the lowest he’s been since reaching the majors.
The full list, based on MLB press releases:
2012, end of regular season: 4th
2013, All-Star break: 6th
2013, end of regular season: 15th
2014, Opening Day (offseason sales): 12th
2014, All-Star break: 17th
His absence from the field this year probably hasn’t helped; Harper missed just over two months after undergoing surgery on his thumb in late April, and has struggled at the plate since rejoining the lineup.
This season’s top 20 is led by a man taking a victory lap, retiring Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter:
1. Derek Jeter, New York Yankees
2. Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants
3. Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers
4. David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox
5. Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox
6. Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals
7. Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
8. David Wright, New York Mets
9. Yasiel Puig, Los Angeles Dodgers
10. Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers
11. Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates
12. Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves
13. Robinson Cano, Seattle Mariners
14. Masahiro Tanaka, New York Yankees
15. Anthony Rizzo, Chicago Cubs
16. Manny Machado, Baltimore Orioles
17. Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals
18. Hyun-Jin Ryu, Los Angeles Dodgers
19. Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants
20. Yu Darvish, Texas Rangers
• Marc Lancaster can be reached at mlancaster@washingtontimes.com.
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