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Tuesday night marked the home debut of Washington Nationals’  phenom  Bryce Harper, one of the most hyped prospects we have seen over the last 50 years.  Based on the early returns, Harper is as good as advertised, starting off his big league career 6 for 13 with 3 doubles.   However, if you had watched the highlights or scanned the box score for the attendance figures from his first two nights at home, you would think it was just an ordinary middle of the week series against a non-division opponent.  the amount of people dressed up as empty seats for the first two Harper home games is definitely not what the folks at Major League Baseball were looking for at such an event.

Perhaps there are a few reasons for the low turnout.  the weather could easily have played a factor in people staying away.  the night time temperature in the DC area has been below normal, with last night’s mercury in the 40′s.   also, the opponent was the Arizona Diamondbacks.   no disrespect to the team I cover but they are not the Braves or the Mets,  divison rivals and better road draws.  And after all, it is only the beginning of May, where crowd numbers are much smaller than what they are in the Summer with the warm weather and kids out of school.  maybe the ticket prices are just too darn expensive, a plague that affects every team around the league. 

Still, it is hard to believe some or all of these factors kept Nats’ fans away from seeing a potenial once-in-a lifetime superstar for the very first time in person.  it is also hard to believe that when Trevor Bauer makes his first start for Arizona, Chase Field will not be at least 75% full.   I have a very limited knowledge of fans in the Phoenix area.  however, the buzz around Bauer, particuarly relating to venomstrikes.com, indicates that the people in the Valley are itching for the chance to see their own budding superstar.  perhaps the dynamics will be different than in Washington, better weather, different time of year, opponent etc.   it won’t matter if opposing team is the San Francisco Giants  or the bad News Bears, fans will come out for the much-anticipated arrival of Trevor Bauer.

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Tags: Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Bryce Harper, Chase Field, featured, Major League Baseball, New York Mets, popular, San Francisco Giants, Trevor Bauer, Washington Nationals

If you haven’t had a chance to see Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals you have been missing out. he is a once in a lifetime player that is essentially A-Rod, Ken Griffey Jr. and LeBron James all in one package. he is a true phenom and like most phenoms, the nation won’t like him.

However, there is one major difference between Tebow and Harper; no one has ever questioned Harper’s mechanics or abilities.  In fact, his personal life is the last thing people talk about, though he bears some similarities to Tebow in beliefs.

The reason everyone is going to hate this young man may lie in the fact that he is a good kid, i.e. Tim Tebow and has never been in trouble. though he is cocky (but can back it up) and brash, he does volunteer work, he maintained a 3.5 grade point average in school and attends religious education classes nearly every morning.

It is funny how our country seems to hate the best of the best, no other nation does this. We always seem to view heroes as threats to our own personal station in life and despise them the moment they burst on the scene.

Well, with the invention of internet video and massive media coverage, Harper has already gone through most of the hype and the hate and is now ready for the big Leagues.  the question is, are we ready for him?

We all have to remember that he is 19, give this kid a chance before you start to boo him.

In case you don’t know anything about the new outfielder for the Nationals, here is a brief rundown of his journey to the Major Leagues:

At only 16, Harper stood 6’3″ and weighed 205 pounds. he had faster bat speed than Mark McGwire in his prime and speed no one had ever seen from a young catcher. In fact he is so fast he scored on wild pitches nine times in high school……from second base. as a catcher he picks off runners from his knees, and when he pitched, he was clocked at 96 mph.

In fact, he has already hit the longest home run in the history of Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, and he did so at age 16.  the blast would have flown farther than the measured 502 feet had it not smashed off the back wall of the dome.

Harper earned his GED after only his sophomore year of high school in December 2009, in order to become eligible for the June 2010 amateur draft and begin his professional baseball career early. he was drafted in the 31st round and declined.

For the 2010 college season, 17-year-old Harper enrolled at the College of Southern Nevada, a Junior College for two reasons; junior colleges do not have a draft restriction like Division 1 baseball schools and the SWAC, like MLB, uses wooden bats in conference play. In only 66 games, he hit 31 home runs, 98 RBI, hitting .443. His 31 home runs broke the school’s previous record of 12.

Harper was drafted first in the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft by the Washington Nationals, Stephen Strasburg earned the title the year before with the Nationals. Harper signed a 5-year contract worth $9.9 million.

After leading his team in hits, homers, RBI and walks Harper was selected to participate in the Arizona Fall League as a member of the Scottsdale Scorpions taxi-squad. Harper was the second-youngest player in the history of the league. he batted .343 and slugged .629. he was then invited to spring training with the big League club at age 18.

After batting .389 in spring training, the Nationals optioned Harper to Class-A to begin his minor league career. In April 2011, after a slow start in the minor leagues, Harper visited optometrist Dr. Keith Smithson who reportedly told him, “I don’t know how you ever hit before. You have some of the worst eyes I’ve ever seen.” In his first 20 games after receiving contact lenses, Harper hit .480, collecting 7 home runs, 10 doubles and 23 RBI.

During 2012 spring training, Harper was optioned to AAA Syracuse, where he started the season, playing centerfield. after a strong start, Harper was called up to the Nationals on April 27, 2012, when Ryan Zimmerman was placed on the DL.

He made his MLB debut with the Nationals the next day against the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he was boo’d from the moment they announced his name. Harper grounded out to the pitcher (Chad Billingsley) in his first career Major League at bat. he recorded his first Major League hit with a double in his third at-bat against Billingsley and got his first RBI on a sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth against Javy Guerra.

After the game he was asked if he was nervous for his Major League debut and Harper stated simply, “No, I had a lot of fun out there”.  the time is now sooner rather than later to make up your mind…… love Bryce, or hate Bryce…..he is here to stay.

Although reports have stated that Harper has toned down his attitude towards the media and he’s become less arrogant this spring, he’s still egotistical and thinks he’s superior to others.

Apparently, he deactivated his Twitter account so that he doesn’t accidentally say something he wasn’t supposed to let slip, which is a step in the right direction.

What happens if at some point, over the next month or so, he decides to reactivate his Twitter for the fun of it? He’s just a 19-year-old boy, and he wants to fit in with his friends. I can see Harper giving in to teen pressure and possibly doing something stupid and not even realizing it.

Yes, I’ve read that he’s toning his attitude down while in interviews and he’s not as jumpy/in your face all the time. but again, he’s so young and things could all change very quickly.

I think it’s very important for the Nationals to monitor his Internet activity, including Facebook, Twitter and other social media outlets.

Another reason I think Harper could possibly fail and not make it to the major leagues this season is because he is too young, and there is too much pressure on him to perform at such a high level.

He’s not allowed to make any mistakes, and if he does, the media will crucify him.

This is the kind of publicity and hype that surrounded Strasburg in 2010 when he debuted in June. every single pitch was documented and each result was criticized. I’m not sure if Harper can handle this type of pressure.

Strasburg was able to handle the pressure pretty well, but I think, if it’s possible, there is even more pressure on Harper to do well. Harper has been called “the Chosen One” by Sports Illustrated and has been said to be the latest prodigy since LeBron.   

Think about it. Strasburg obviously paved the way and is already on the Nationals roster, so he has nothing more to worry about. Harper, on the other hand, has his entire future in front of him, and that’s a lot of pressure for a 19-year-old who should be thinking of where to take his girlfriend on their next date, or what he and his friends are going to do this Friday night.

Of course, he’s always going to be compared to Strasburg, and we’ll see if he can perform as well as he did in 2010.

There have been times in the past where Harper’s immaturity has reared its ugly head in the media. the first example comes after he hit a home run at the minor league level. as he was rounding the bases, he blew a kiss to the opposing pitcher.

Does that sound like something a future star should even think about doing? does that sound like a major league baseball player? Well, it doesn’t to me.

His fans would just respond by saying that he was too immature at that moment, but has grown up since. It’s hasn’t been too long since that happened, so he must have grown up fast.

Another example of his immaturity this spring occurred at training camp. Harper thinks, if he didn’t miss a week or so due to a calf injury this spring, then he would have made the club for Opening Day. that might say something about his pride and how much he believes in himself, which is very important, but I think it’s too much.

There’s no way a 19-year-old should think that he should make a professional major league baseball team right away, with just under a year of minor league experience.

Another reason why Harper might not make his debut this season, and this is a long shot, is if the Nationals are too cautious of calling him up at such a young age. Strasburg made his major league debut on June 9th, 2010 when he was just 21 years of age.

Although Strasburg enjoyed a good deal of success over his first year of work and posted a 5-3 record with an impressive 2.91 ERA, what if he stayed down at the minor league level a bit longer and gained more experience?

Maybe Strasburg wouldn’t have injured himself in the previous season (2011, which caused him to miss most of the year) if he were to stay in the minors a little longer. 

I’m not saying that Strasburg is a bust in any stretch of the imagination. obviously he is phenomenal, and has many great years to come. but I really think that Strasburg could have benefited from another couple of months in the minors.  

Another long shot why Harper will not make his major league debut this season is if he has any problems with his calf the rest of the summer, as he did for a week in the spring. Harper seems to be the type of player who will play through any injury without calling attention to it.

I just hope that, if something does end up going wrong and he injures himself, he’ll go to management and let them know. He’s so young and there’s no reason why he should miss a substantial amount of time due to such an insignificant injury.

So, although there hasn’t been a report of a calf injury flare-up, if I were the Nationals, I would be watching out more closely than usual to make sure that Harper is healthy.

I’m not saying that he’ll get injured, but the Nats need to pay attention and be cautious of this young star in the making.

While watching Bryce Harper in his major-league debut on Saturday night, it was easy to forget that he’s still a kid—well, except for the whole haircut thing.

He worked counts, took pitches with confidence and still showed his bat speed. he hustled on the base paths, treating every play like it was the final out of the World Series. Oh yeah, and I guess his arm isn’t too shabby.

Now an inhabitant of Washington, D.C., Harper spent his first off day as a major leaguer exploring his new surroundings, which apparently included playing softball with local kids in front of the Washington Monument, according to TheNatsEnquirer.com.

If this were any other player, it would seem weird, or possibly even a Canseco-esque thing to do. But the fact that it’s 19-year-old Bryce Harper doing it—mere days after capturing the nation’s attention, nonetheless—it just seems normal.

Now, I don’t know the story behind this video, so I have no idea whether it is a charity event or some sort of welcome party. Honestly, I’d rather stick to the image of Harper—with a freshly gelled Mohawk, obviously—strolling up to the field with his own aluminum bat.

Suddenly, Harper is launching tape-measure home runs as a crowd that formed around him continually gasps in astonishment. 

Next time, however, I’d like to hear Harper yelling, “Fifty bucks I can hit it over the highway!”

Two days after the Washington Nationals made the decision to send Bryce Harper to Triple-A Syracuse, ending his bid to make the major league team out of camp, general manager Mike Rizzo stood outside of the visitors’ clubhouse in Port St. Lucie, Fla., and was asked a simple question.

What was it that the team wanted Harper to improve on before he would be promoted?

“Nothing whatsoever,” Rizzo said.

When the Nationals gave Harper the only news he didn’t want to hear for the second year in a row, it was different from the previous time.

He’d spent the better part of his 3 1/2 weeks in big-league camp answering any of the lingering questions the Nationals brass may have had. He was a model citizen, performed well on the field, greatly improved his outfield play and went about his business with a quieter confidence than has come to be expected from him. All they want now is for him to spend more time in center field.

Harper will play for the Nationals this season. The question is when.

“The one guy we’re all looking at is Bryce Harper,” said ESPN Sunday Night Baseball analyst and former Red Sox manager Terry Francona. “I think we all believe he’ll be in the majors sometime this year, whether it’s may or June.”

But it’s predicting that date precisely that likely will be an exercise in futility because of the many factors the Nationals will calculate before making that call. Harper’s play in center will be paramount. often, promotions to the majors depend on need, but the Nationals are opening the 2012 season with a need in center field.

And Rizzo has said that the Nationals will not be motivated by the Super two date, which is difficult to predict exactly. In essence, they will not attempt to hold Harper down until they’re ensured he wouldn’t reach arbitration an entire year early and thus likely saving themselves several million dollars.

When he’s ready, they’ll take him.

“We’re going to see where he’s at developmentally,” Rizzo said, noting that includes all facets of his game as well as his mindset. “When we feel he’s ready to come up to the big leagues and help the club, we’re certainly going to be aggressive, if he’s ready for it, and let him do it.”

So far, the transition to center has gone well. since moving back over to the minor league side of camp, officials say, Harper has excelled in games and in work with roving outfield instructor Tony Tarasco.

After a rookie professional season spent largely on the corners, the Nationals seem to feel they’ve finally found the best place for their phenom.

“It fits his personality,” player development director Doug Harris said. “He’s a high-energy guy, and he likes to lead by performance, by example. [Center field] allows him the freedom to do that.”

Said Rizzo: “if anybody can pull it off, he can.”

© Copyright 2012 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.

Matt Kemp hit his 11th home run of the year in the 10th inning to lift the Dodgers to a 4-3 win over the Nationals to spoil the debut of Bryce Harper.

The Dodgers had scored twice in the ninth to tie the game, and Kemp won it when he drilled a low, 1-2 fastball over the center field wall for the win.

“We’re having fun right now,” said Kemp. “It took everybody to get this win tonight. I got the pitch I wanted to hit, a fastball over the middle and I hit it hard.”

A.J. Ellis and Juan Uribe each drove in a run for the Dodgers, who have won the first two games of this three-game set. Chad Billingsley gave up just one run on five hits over seven innings while Jamey Wright (1-0) got the win for a flawless 10th inning.

“I was proud of the guys for bouncing back in the ninth,” said Dodgers manager Don Mattingly. “To scratch out a win against those guys is showing that our guys are playing together. It’s fun to watch Kemp, you see him getting better and better.”

Harper, the top pick of the 2010 draft, drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the ninth and hit a double in the seventh for the Nationals, who have dropped three straight. Stephen Strasburg went seven innings and gave up one run on five hits over seven innings. Tom Gorzelanny (1-1) was handed the loss.

Los Angeles left men on first and second in the second inning and Ian Desmond popped into a double play in the Washington third.

Strasburg hit a leadoff double in the sixth and moved to third on a Desmond groundout, but Steve Lombardozzi and Jayson Werth both grounded out to end the inning.

LaRoche led off the seventh with his fourth homer of the season. After the next two batters struck out, Harper punched a double to center for his first career hit, but he was left there when Strasburg struck out after Wilson Ramos was issued a free pass.

“I really didn’t have any butterflies,” said Harper. “Billingsley has good stuff and I was just looking for a pitch that I could drive. I wasn’t really thinking about anything when I was standing on second. Hairston came over and congratulated me. We fought to the end, but I wish we could have gotten the win.”

The Dodgers answered in the bottom of the frame. Jerry Hairston was hit by a pitch to start the inning and James Loney reached base on an error to Danny Espinosa. After Uribe struck out, Ellis singled to left. Harper made a strong throw to the plate and the ball got there on time, but Hairston was able to knock the ball out of Ramos’ glove and tied the game. Juan Rivera hit into a double play to end the inning.

Washington went back on top in the ninth off Javy Guerra. With men on first and third, Harper drove in his first run with a sacrifice fly to left and Ramos followed with an RBI single to right for a 3-1 advantage.

It didn’t hold, though, as Henry Rodriguez gave it right back. Mark Ellis started with a single and took second on a wild pitch. Loney then singled and a ground-rule double from Uribe made it a one-run game. a.J. Ellis then struck out and Adam Kennedy hit a grounder back to first that saw Loney nailed at home. a wild pitch with Dee Gordon at the plate then scored Uribe to tie the game.

Gordon eventually struck out, but the third strike went wild and he advanced to first, prompting a pitching change that saw Gorzelanny take the mound and get Tony Gwynn Jr. to line out sharply to first and end the inning.

AP fileSyracuse Chief Bryce Harper is about to make his major league debut with the Washington Nationals.

By HOWARD FENDRICHBryce Harper tends to do things ahead of schedule, so it should surprise no one he’s already heading to the major leagues.

The 19-year-old outfielder, who was the no. 1 overall pick in the 2010 amateur draft, will be recalled by the Washington Nationals from Triple-A Syracuse on Saturday.

Widely regarded as baseball’s top prospect, Harper will meet the Nationals in Los Angeles, where they are playing the Dodgers, and take the roster spot of third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who is going on the 15-day disabled list with inflammation in his right shoulder.

“Suffice it to say, this isn’t the coming-out party for Bryce that we had in mind,” Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said Friday on a conference call with reporters. “This isn’t the optimal situation developmentally.”

Harper skipped his final year of high school, earned his GED, then played one season of junior college baseball at the College of Southern Nevada to become eligible for the draft to get a head-start on his professional career. he signed a five-year, $9.9 million contract, including $6.5 million in signing bonuses, with the Nationals in August 2010.

Rizzo has stated repeatedly that he thinks all young players should spend time at each level of the minors before moving to the big leagues. So while Nationals manager Davey Johnson wanted Rizzo to consider letting Harper skip Triple a, the team sent him to Syracuse after he hit .286 in spring training this year.

But with their top two hitters — Zimmerman and left fielder Michael Morse, who’s been out all season with a problematic back muscle — sidelined by injuries, the team decided to bring up Harper now.

“We still have a very good and committed developmental plan for Bryce in place. I still believe very passionately in the plan, and am committed to it. but it was expedited by the circumstances,” Rizzo said. “We felt that we needed to bring in an impactful, left-handed bat that could play the corner outfield.”

Rizzo headed to Rochester, N.Y., this week to watch Harper play in three games for Syracuse — and liked what he saw, including how Harper fared in the field.

Harper played primarily catcher in college, but the Nationals immediately shifted him to right field when they drafted him. They also wanted him to play some center field at Syracuse, because that’s a spot where Washington needs help.

“He’s swinging the bat extremely well right now, and looked comfortable in left field,” Rizzo said.

Asked whether Harper would start for Washington on Saturday, Rizzo wouldn’t answer directly, saying that’s a question for Johnson.

But Rizzo did say: “We didn’t bring Bryce up there to sit on the bench. He’s going to get everyday reps and get ample at-bats.”

The GM wouldn’t weigh in on whether Harper necessarily will stay up in the majors, even after Zimmerman returns, or is definitely going to go back to the minors.

“This is a very confident person, and we expect him to do well in the major leagues,” Rizzo said. “He’s the type of guy who will handle anything that is thrown at him and will be the better for it.”

The Nationals were an NL-leading 14-5 heading into their game at the Dodgers on Friday night. That’s thanks mainly to outstanding starting pitching; the offense has been inconsistent.

Cleanup hitter Morse isn’t expected back for weeks. The no. 3 hitter, Zimmerman could return as soon as May 6, Rizzo said, because his stint on the DL is backdated.

“We don’t think it’s a debilitating injury,” Rizzo said, “but it takes time to heal.”