I first heard about Bryce Harper when he was 15 years old. All I knew then was there was some high school catcher that was an unbelievable talent, and was a certain top MLB draft pick in the future. Last spring I stumbled onto the following video and some articles about this freak kid. From what I have heard, he got his GED after his sophmore year as he felt he couldn't improve his game at that level anymore. He then has continued playing at a top rated junior college, with plans to enter this draft and become the #1 pick. From the reports on him, he has a good head on his shoulders, and unbelievable work ethic. I've heard the rumors the last few years about him him......scoring from second on wild pitches, being able to hit the gun at 96 when he's on the mound, and blasting 500 foot homers. So far, the kid deserves the hype he has put around him, but he still has to show up and prove it once he's drafted. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liS3kGvQ9Bk The Washington Nationals will be again picking #1 this year, and after picking one, if not the best, pitching prospect to ever come out of college (Stephen Strasburg) last year, they will be in line to pick the most highly touted prospect to ever enter the draft. Unfortunantly for them, Scott Boras is a representative for both these young men, so like Strasburg, Harper will come with a big signing bonus. If both are Nationals, the chances of them playing together for more than a few seasons are slim, but imagine both at their full potential on the same roster. Here is a link to a SI article wrote about him that I found today at work. Should be interesting to see how this kid turns out. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1156215/index.htm
This kid is a haus. I have seen him before too. For such a youngster he has a pretty good swing, not just power but form. It will be interesting to see what happens to him in the future.
Dang, that got a laugh out of me I keep up on Baseball, some are saying that he will go number one, two at the worst. http://www.mymlbdraft.com/MLB-Mock-Draft-2010 from one of the sites I like.
The only way I see him going #2 is if the Nationals feel there is ZERO chance they can meet his contract demands. I think they had to give Strasburg $15 mil last summer, and I've heard that Boras will demand twice that amount for Harper. With both these guys on your roster though, it should be fairly easy to put fans in the seats I would think.
I think it's just unfortunate for this kid that he's being hyped so much. 570' HR's? Please. He needs to progress a little slower than his handlers are forcing him to.
Exactly, he will command a hefty contract with Boras as his agent. I am not sure what they can afford, but They will likely be trying to make room for him. It will be fun to see what comes of this in the next few months.
I agree with Jeff.....570' only happens on PS3. The list of can't miss prospects that tanked is a long one.
Enough said right there. And I don't care if he hit a 570 foot homerun or a 970 foot homerun. Let's see you hit A homerun against MLB pitching before any hype.
and a 570 ft homer with a modern alloy bat is even less impressive to me, i know its insane, but they have progressed so much the reis talk of outlawing them at the HS level
Agreed, for every A-Rod there is Rick Ankiel, J.D. Drew, and Drew Henson.....you could go on all day. The scouts making these comparisons aren't just looking at the PS3-like numbers he is putting up in JUCO right now. There are more things to it...his approach at the plate, work ethic, arm behind the plate, his swing, everything that involves playing the game of baseball. I don't really care how far he hits a baseball or any kind of measurement they are throwing out there, but the comparisons of A-Rod, Griffey, and Upton are fair...all 3 were great high school players who have went on to be very good MLB players (Upton is still VERY young). Harper and his parents are the ones that surrounded him with this hype, he just has to back it up now.
AMEN.....Everytime I watch him, there appears to be a small hitch right at the start of his swing. That generates an incredible amount of bat speed, but it also slows you down a notch. No big deal against the coaches son, but when guys have 15 MPH varialbes between their heat and changeups that could be a very big deal.
Yea I noticed the hitch your talking about too. To me it seems like it's almost his way of getting himself loaded before taking the swing. However, it could be something to watch and see if he still has it when he starts facing big league talent. I believe this year he is also playing in a wooden bat league, so the switch from aluminum to wood is going to be shown this year. Superstar or bust.....the kid is going to make some cash this June.
Wooden bat league....Is it the Cape, that is the only place he will face major talent day in and day out...You are exactly right about the swing...a major league hitting coach will get rid of it if the swing is delayed at all. VERY VERY few guys pull off any added motion with a swing, and they are FREAKS. Just watched his home run derby showing on you tube, he is definatly loading up. reminds me of a guy I played with back in the day, Rick Elder...6' 5" at 14 and a stud...also hit 500' bombs according to the papers, and we used to have a good time with it. Went 28th or so over all out of highschool. Long swing just like this kid...and you never heard of him. Corey Patterson was on our team as well, and as you cubs fans know he had a short quick stroke. He went 3rd overall to you guys, and had a pretty good career. You just never know. Jeff Keppinger plays with the Astros, they completely redid his swing in cincy, he had a long swing too, ever heard of his brother, he was the best amatuer (sp) player I ever played with or against, ya'll never heard of him either. Baseball is a fickle game, guys advance quickly and flame out, some are naturally bigger and their skills diminish once everyone catches up, and you always have to throw in the dominican factor...these guys only chance to ever have a living beyond poverty is to make it. Put that against us and our fantastic luxuries, and they have more drive and skillset just do to conditions alone. Sorry for the ramble, I love the game, and we do not talk about it much.
You said it perfectly right there. Only time will tell if Harper is the real deal or if he fizzles out over time. Assuming he enters the draft this year, and signs on to a team soon after, he could be facing pitchers in the low minors this summer.
Stuff like this has gotten completely out of hand. The kid has never faced any real pitching in his life. All of us who have played the game can agree to this. I've seen numerous kids peak at this age and fade away quick. Me being one of them. Not at this caliber, but my skills quickly faded after I turned 16.
