“My dad, he wakes up every single day happy as heck and ready to go. He never dwells on the past and never looks forward to the future. He’s always just, let’s lock it in today,” Harper said. “I’ve always tried to live that way. That will all take care of itself. If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.”

Because everyone is always asking the question — and because Harper is unready to answer it — amateur analysts search for the answer in more subtle clues. What about all those “202” shirts he wears around the clubhouse, the D.C. hats he customizes and wears in postgame interviews, the D.C. bat he used on the Fourth of July last year, the pictures he posts with the hashtag “#DCorNothing.” Doesn’t all that mean something? Doesn’t the 23-year-old know people searching for reasons to believe he will stay will inevitably read into all that?

AD

AD

“I love playing here right now with this team, this organization. I enjoy playing for these fans,” Harper said. “I don’t just wear 202 shirts just to wear ’em. I do it because I feel like this is my home. I feel like this is what took me away from Vegas and this is my place that I want to be. This is my home right now. I enjoy every single day here.”

Harper has established ties to the community with his Harper’s Heroes program, has stopped by the Nationals Youth Academy more than once with Anthony Rendon. He is one of Baltimore-based Under Armour’s most high-profile athlete endorsers. He has praised Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo as letting him be himself, having his back, and giving him space to grow into a star.

“I love this team. I love the organization. I love the city. It’s a lot of fun to play here,” Harper said. “I never thought I’d say this, but when I’m on the West Coast and I’m at home, I miss the East Coast. I miss being out here in D.C. Stuff like that, it’s different but I love it.”