Bryce Harper, the first-round draft pick of the Washington Nationals, added an Arizona Fall League championship to his already impressive resume.
Since being praised as quite possibly the future of the game of baseball, Harper has been doing and saying all the right things on his way to becoming the face of a Washington Nationals club in dire need of some good fortune.
Harper, who followed Stephen Strasburg as another Nationals number one draft pick, is slowly but surely putting all the pieces together while putting in his time with the Nationals instructional league team and the AFL Scottsdale Scorpions.
Harper compiled a .319 average and led the Nationals Instructional league team in RBI. According to Fantasy Windup, the Nationals did not want Harper sitting around till spring training and decided the Arizona Fall League was the ideal situation. You can say they made the right choice.
Obviously Harper, who just turned 18, has a long way to go.
His swing has been called lengthy/violent and his defensive skills are continuing to evolve after moving from catching to the outfield.
This had to have been a shock to the “phenom,” who was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated at the age of 16.
Despite hitting 500 foot homeruns in batting practice, lighting up the radar gun at 96 mph, and literally becoming a legend in his home state of Nevada, Harper has another reality check—since becoming a professional he's batting seventh in the Scorpions line-up.
Batting seventh, in a line-up filled with prospects all gifted in their own way, did not phase Harper in the least.
In 35 at-bats Harper batted .343 (12 for 35), with half of his hits earning extra bases. A .410 OBP and a .629 SLG proves the kid has the talent, but can he sustain those lofty numbers and expectations for an entire season?
As far as I can tell, the Nationals do not appear to rushing Harper along, and if in 2011 he can continue to develop, a stint in Double-A Harrisburg isn’t so much a dream but a reality.
Dare I say MLB starter by 19? Maybe!
Devon is the founder of The GM’s Perspective
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