Bryce Harper, Kevin Love, Odell Beckham Jr. among 24 to appear in ESPN's upcoming Body Issue
Bryce Harper's preternatural abilities have been on full display throughout the first half of the 2015 campaign, wherein the 22-year-old has notched 24 home runs with a league-leading 1.208 OPS through 67 games.
In just a few short weeks, he'll put some of his other physical gifts on display when he appears in ESPN's annual edition of the Body Issue, set for online publication July 6 (and poised to hit newsstands July 10).
"I've always wanted to do the Body Issue," Harper said recently. "I want to put baseball out there."
Harper, who's listed at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, is set to appear alongside 23 other athletes - including Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love and New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. - in the issue's seventh installment.
"Our goal is to continue to evolve the issue year after year," said Chad Millman, editor in chief of ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine. "The ability to capture both the strength and vulnerability of these extraordinary athletes through such powerful images and introspective interviews is incredibly moving."
Last summer, Texas Rangers first baseman Prince Fielder graced the cover of the Body Issue, proudly exhibiting his powerful 275-pound frame.
"You don't have to look like an Under Armour mannequin to be an athlete. A lot of people probably think I'm not athletic or don't even try to work out or whatever, but I do," Fielder said.