Bryce Harper: The Phenom Has Arrived

I won't deny that I've been in the tank for Bryce Harper since I read the article on him in Sports Illustrated when he was just 16 years old. I was amazed by what I read, the highlights on ESPN, and the determination the kid displayed to fast track himself to get drafted which included graduating high school a year early and enrolling into a junior college. I may not have agreed with the route he took but the old ballplayer inside of me, the one that grew up wanting to one day put on an Orioles uniform, couldn't help but wonder not only what if for myself but what could be for this young man.

Fast forward to 2010 and Bryce Harper is drafted by the Washington Nationals. Are you kidding me? A year after my local team drafts a pitcher, Stephen Strasburg, that is supposed to be the next sure thing, with teh 1st overall pick, the team is able to draft Harper 1st overall? Someone pinch me! Mind you I had finally started to really embrace the Nationals team, something I've been overly critical of many within the DMV of not doing, especially of late. In fact the only time you'd see fans at Nationals home games would be games started by Strasburg or when the Phillies came to town, and most of them were Phillies fans. Of course when Nationals Park opened the stadium did sell out and was bonkers but from what I was told just about every home opener since then saw numbers that left something to be desired despite what the team's announced attendance was.

I thought for sure that trend would change this season. The team ended last year playing .500 ball, Strasburg was coming back and there was an outside chance that this Harper kid could make the majors out of Spring Training, he didn't. I mean of course he didn't! Harper did very well in AA before being fast-tracked to AAA ball where he struggled a bit and then had his Spring Training shortened by injury and didn't really get things going but you knew despite what GM Mike Rizzo said, manager Davey Johnson wanted to get this kid up to "The Show" as soon as possible, even if it meant losing an extra year of holding onto his rights.

Fast forward to April 27th and Bryce Harper makes his debut as the Nationals Left Fielder against the Los Angeles Dodgers. When I found out he had been called up I texted my cousin and my boss and was totally surprised by the move. I had read he was struggling in AAA ball, though he had started to pick up his production, but thought for sure he was more likely to come up in June than April. I also was disappointed that his Major League debut would be coming on the road instead of at home but I quickly realized that was best because there was enough pressure on the kid, who has come under constant scrutiny since appearing on that SI cover, that starting him on the road should actually take some of the pressure off him.

Mind you this is a kid that has no problem saying exactly what he wants regardless of the backlash that may come from it, heck even as recently as February I was a little miffed at the kid because of some of the things he said on Twitter, he's since shut down his account. It wasn't that he said anything bad, even in his interviews he was always straight with things but it was more of the sports rivalry aspect. Reading that Bryce is a fan of the Duke Blue Devils, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Lakers, and Dallas Cowboys would not only make him a #1 target of ridicule amongst the fans in the area, Chad Dukes called him a douche, but it alost caused me to believe he was one of "those people," you know the bandwagon fans that only likes a team because of the media and hype that surrounds them. I can't stand any of those teams but I will say I respsect each of them for what they have done and brought to each of their respect sports. Those issues, while petty, were minor compared to the national attention he received last year when he got tossed for arguing balls and strikes and for blowing a kiss to an opposing pitcher after he hit a home run. That kiss quickly made him the anti-hero in baseball and despite me shaking my head in disapproval I admit that I liked it. The kid showed up the other guy, sure but that edge showed me something, I just couldn't put my finger on it at the time.

Whatever feelings I may have had about Bryce's personal choices or immaturity, which teammates say he has overcome, can easily be ignored after his debut though. This kid won me over with his hustle, I mean damn he nearly beat out a comebacker to the pitcher. Every ground ball that kid is flying, if he has a chance for an extra base he takes it. He plays the game the way it should be played. He's a star in the majors at 19 and I do fear that one day he'll get complacent and won't try as hard or he'll step wrong on a base and blow out his knee or dislocate his ankle, but the kid plays the way I wish every multi-million dollar athlete would, running out ground balls, running at full speed, and sacrifice his body making a catch like he did in his first game in CF as he crashed into the wall. After all of this I told a friend that Bryce is the real deal to which he responded "he's a dick." Fine let him be a dick but I'd still take a team of Bryce Harpers over a team of just about any other player in the league.

Bryce has now been up for a little over a week and while he hasn't displayed the power he did before getting drafted he has shown he belongs in the majors and it seems the team now plans to keep him there, whether choice or by force, due to injuries to Ryan Zimmerman, Michael Morse, and Jayson Werth, arguably the teams three best hitters. What Bryce has lacked in power he has made up for in smart plays though, the sad thing is that until this weekend, no one had shown up to Nationals Park to see it. For a stadium that can seat around 42,000 the team could have built a stadium for 24,000 and still have trouble filling it most nights including his home debut and it has less to do with the team, who was tied for the best record in baseball going into yesterday, as much as it does with the fans in the DMV.

This brings us to last night. Bryce Harper would finally have all eyes on him as the Nationals and Phillies finished up their weekend series on ESPN. The Nats had already won the first two games of the series and the Phillies had preferred to pitch around Harper rather than face his bat. In his first at bat of the game Phillies pitcher, Cole Hamels, hit Bryce in the side with the first pitch he saw. Later Hamels would admit what everyone pretty much knew, it was a "welcome to the big leagues, kid" pitch that he intended to hit him with. Pretty much it was an initiation, old school baseball. Hamels could be facing a suspension for it and he ended up having to pay for it, twice. The next batter, Werth, blooped a single to left and Harper took off and ended up at third, on a play that most ballplayers would have stopped at second. Then when the next batter came up Hamels decided to try and keep Werth close at 1st and attempted a pick-off to 1st base which was enough for Harper to take off for home plate and steal home. The crowd went nuts and the kid made a statement with that play while basically dropping a bit ol "SUCK IT" to Hamels and the Phillies. Later in the game Hamels got plunked by Jordan Zimmerman so despite a double dose of payback the Phillies ended up with the win.

So while the team lost, the story of the game was Harper. He showed he belonged, showed he's gutsy, showed he's ready to embrace every rivalry. I for one love watching him play and will be tuning in every chance I get to see him play. He's eccentric, he's polarizing, he's the 2000's version of Charlie Hustle (Pete Rose for those who don't know). In fact his game reminds me a bit of Jackie Robinson on the bases mixed with Wade Boggs at the plate. I've watched the game since I was 5 and I'm no expert by any means but the style of both players is what I see in his actions and that's really a compliment to him and maybe a bit of a diservice to them but time will tell.

Earlier this week Bryce threw a bullet to the plate that beat the runner, though the umpire made the wrong call, and since then teams have refused to test his arm. Between him and Rick Ankiel the Nats are a strong armed outfielder away from holding teams from ever attempting to score on a sacrifice fly. I have yet to see him make a mistake, except for that AWFUL hair cut..I mean seriously its like half mo-hawk and half mullet...he looks like someone put some road kill on his damn head...lose the possum..but I digress, so let's just say I have yet to see him make a mistake on the field but that't not to say he won't, and he's played smart baseball beyond his years. On the national stage in front of a nationwide audience the Harper, got plunked, stole home, took an extra base on at least two occassions (he hit a soft bloop to left and turned it into a double, and made a great diving grab, for the first out of the inning, while keeping the runner, albeit the pitcher, at third, that eventually saw the Nats get out of a bases loaded no out jam.

As I said my fear is the kid will hurt himself hustling all the time but he's also a well conditioned athlete. I'm not worried about him not becoming this monster power hitter or turning from his Mormon upbringing and falling the route of Josh Hamilton into a life of drugs and alcohol. I am worried that he'll be so good that the Yankees or another big name club will come to him when he becomes a free agent and offers him a contract of like $300million over 10 years and DC will no longer have Bryce Haper because in a city full of egos and controversy this is one character whom I'd like to keep around.  Hopefully as Bryce and the Nats get exposure the team will start to draw more fans.  One thing is for certain, after last night many women, and some men,  in the DMV will be offering up themselves to have Bryce Haper's babies.

What Should The Fans Expect of the Washington Nationals This Season?

When it comes to my local sports teams I am admittedly a total homer. Ever the pessimist regarding how they'll perform based on the history here in the DMV I try to stay optimistic as a team is assembled.

I have not paid much attention to the Nats in Spring Training but from what I gathered watching Britt McHenry do her 6pm sports cast on ABC 7 the team has not performed well of late and the manager and players are tired of losing. While currently sitting at 5-13 this spring fans have to hope this isn't a sign of things to expect from the team this season. Expectations are high, the stadium is usually bare and a slow start could lead to low attendance in a city that is looking to support a winning team, beyond the struggling Capitals and the Nats are expected to be that team.

Entering Spring Training all eyes were on one person, a kid named Bryce Harper. Harper has been branded as the next "Big Thing," a man-child, who is developed far beyond his years but still a little dense between the ears (being a fan of the Cowboys, Yankees, Lakers and I believe Blue Devils). The biggest question regarding him was would he make the team to start the season or be called up later on in the year. A calf injury, followed by slow production upon his return helped make the decision to send Bryce down to AAA-ball a bit easier. It also helps that he wasn't lights out against AA pitching and also by waiting to bring him up in June or later it allows the team to have him under contract for one extra year. One good sign this spring is that teammates say that he was soaking up the knowledge, listening to the vets, not being egotistical, and even said to the media its not about him, that there are many components than one man to the team. There is little doubt that Bryce will make an appearance later this year, barring injury, and when he does I expect the Nats to not only sell out every game the rest of the season but also have fans show up to the games so that their announced attendance of 30,000+ doesn't actually have 4,000 people sitting there watching the games with ghost seat fillers sitting next to them.

As for all things not Bryce Harper this team is in a perfect position to take the next step going forward. I for one believe the team overachieved last year by not finishing 10 games under .500. Despite not having the phenom Stephen Strasburg for most of the year because of Tommy John surgery, the pitching staff came along nicely, especially Jordan Zimmerman who was limited by an innings limit due to coming off of surgery. This year the team has Strasburg, on an innings limit, and Zimmerman, returning to the rotation, while adding young hurler Gio Gonzalez who could be a Cy Young candidate potential, and Edwin Jackson, a player that has been a bit of a nomad that was thought to be a top of the rotation talent that will be the team's number 4 starter. He can be effective but I'm not fully sold on him and he's having the worst spring training, statistically of his career. Hopefully it has more to do with the park, line-up or defense and not a prelude. The 5th starter is up for grabs between John Lannan, Chien-Ming Wang, and my personal choice, Ross Detwiler. Looking at the stats I'd say Detwiler has the edge but I think they'll look to make him more of a long reliever.

That brings me to the team's bullpen. Drew Storen, the closer, is expected to start the season on the disabled list, which is better than the "available to be traded" list that he was on at the trade deadline last year. I really like this kid's pitching and hope we sign him long term. The other main guy in the bullpen is Tyler Clippard, the Nats All-Star last season. Clipp has his moments where he's dominant out of the pen and then gets lit up for stretches but he's been the most consistent and most used reliever on the team and will be an important cog. With Storen out the closer's role is expected to be filled by Henry Rodriguez, who possess a fastball that can clock 100MPH, and Brad Lidge, he of the "I give up home runs to Albert Pujols and then get all messed up psychologically" ilk. I'm not a fan of the Lidge signing but he's a vet and hopefully a change of scenery will help him. Sean Burnett, Tom Gorzelanny, Cole Kimball, and Craig Stammen will all be looking at time in the bullpen throughout the year.

The Nationals every day line-up is possibly the best its ever been, and that's before the addition of Harper. The problem is that every the team goes through long stretches of strong pitching and little to no offense and then once they do start hitting the pitching lacks, the defense has been suspect during that time too. For now, Adam LaRoche and his bum shoulder will be the man at first. I say for now because I don't see him staying healthy or being productive enough to keep in the line-up. Not that we need an $8 million guy to sit on the bench but I'd rather have Chris Marrero. At second base is one of my favorite players on the team in Danny Espinosa. I fell in love with this guy when he hit two home runs in one game after he was called up in September of 2010. He's still young and has some pop and I expect this to be a career year for him, possibly even with an All-Star appearance.  At shortstop is everyone's favorite punching bag on the team, Ian Desmond. He's not a great hitter, has a little pop, and can steal bases. There is one thing he does better than steal bases though and that's commit errors. He's committed 57 errors in the last two seasons though he did have 49 more chances he had 11 less errors. A lot of that improvement came from Desmond learning to not try and make a play/throw when he should just pocket the ball. This will continue to be an area the team looks to upgrade including in their minor leagues with Steve Lombardozzi. At third base is the team leader, Ryan Zimmerman. The team extended Zimmerman with the hopes that he'll be this team's Cal Ripken Jr but without the consecutive games streak. An injury of Zimmerman should be expected every year and every year I expect him to be a little better than the previous year. I expect that again this year with Jayson Werth hopefully having a better season. Behind the plate will be Wilson Ramos and Jesus Flores. They don't strike fear into many but they're good young catchers that will be pivotal for the improvement of the pitchers and they got to learn under future Hall of Famer Ivan Rodriguez the past two years.

In the outfield the team will have Jayson Werth in right. Werth got paid and then forgot how to hit last year. For the Nationals to reach their peak this year they can not have a repeat season and the fans, those who do show up, will have no trouble booing him like he were Kwame Brown or Andray Blatche. Left field belongs to Michael Morse, currently hampered by a back injury. I'm really hoping this isn't a long term thing for Beast Mode because last year he had the career year I was expecting and I hope he can continue with those numbers. He provides perfect protection in the line-up for Zimmerman and Werth. My fear is that this injury will last all season and depending on if he can play through it he may take over first base like last season, where I felt he did an above average job. In center will most likely be the platoon of Rick Ankiel and Roger Bernadina. Its a shame we can't combine these two guys. I have loved Ankiel's game since he burst onto the scene in St. Louis and took baseball by storm before having one of the craziest declines I've ever seen and it amazes me that now he can't hit the catcher from the pitcher's mound but he can do it perfectly without a hop from over 300 feet away. Besides Ankiel's rocket for an arm he also provides some power but he strikes out a bunch too. Bernadina gives you speed so again combine the two and you have a five tool prospect.

The bench looks sparse and I really only know of Mark DeRosa and he'll be spelling a lot of guys as a utility player/suber-sub.

What the season holds for the Nationals depends on which team shows up, the team that ended last season or the team that showed up in Spring Training. Expectations being high puts a lot of pressure on these guys. Strasburg was nearly untouchable when the games matter so here's hoping spring numbers mean very little, which most people believe that they do. The NL East is stronger this year than last year with Miami upgrading thanks to a winter shopping spree, the Mets have some players but I'm hoping they'll continue to implode, the Phillies are as lethal as ever with an amazing starting rotation, and probably the only one better than the Nationals in the East. The Braves seem to always a contender for at least the Wild Card and I wouldn't be surprised to see them be a pest again this season.

As for the Nats, if they click on all cylinders I say they go 92-70 and set themselves up for a shot at the Wild Card. If they don't get their act together but stay healthy this team should still be able to hang around the .500 mark. I have always felt that 2013 would be the season to expect them to make their move but the upgrades in pitching shows they want to do it now. History tells us that DC teams with high expectations never live up to them but last year's team, despite the lower expectations and the quitting of their manager maintained a light hearted atmosphere and went out there and just had fun. If they can continue to play that way and not press they should be just fine. A winning locker room is a happy locker room.