Being the avid poker player that I am, NOT, I know that having been dealt an Ace is a good thing. And having 2 is crazy good.
And in the world of amateur drafts, Rule-5 signings and international bargaining, the scouting and evaluating talent is a real crapshoot. You never really know how a player will turn out, if they ever even make it that far. So to pick a true winner is as lucky guess.
And Boris’ money makin’, flame throwin’ client Stephen Strasburg has sure made the Nationals win the lotto. He had electric stuff last night in the nations capital. He struck out 14, 2 ERs, 0 walks in 7 innings of work; in other words he made the Buckos walk ya plank. The Ex-Expos need not be worried about this star in the making.
Bryce Harper on the cover of SI at 16....
But, okay, it was the Pirates whose best player is also their smartest, Ohlendorf. But they are still major league hitters. He hit 100mph on the gun several times over the course of the game, and you could just tell that when he needed a little giddy-up-and-go on his fastball he just reared back and fired it. And like any great starting pitcher will know, it’s the secondary and third pitches that made you unhittable. Strasburg mixed in his 79-83mph curveball that dropped off the table faster than my veggies at the dinner table. He also had the changeup that he could locate on the corners keeping the batters honest and sometimes sent them packing.
And okay, it was one start. But he looks anything like this the rest of the season the league better be counting down the days til next Strasmas.
But with all the hub bub about Strasburg I think the real story, the real prodigy is slipping under the rug. Due to the expansion of the Nationals they receive the first pick # years in a row, giving them all the help in the world to make it work. And their 2nd Number One pick happened to be Bryce Harper.
He scares me. He hits for power, to all fields and plays his position better than anyone his age.
And I know this maybe the most ridiculous proposition in the world to this date, but I believe (without seeing this kid play a game, mind you) can play and should play in the MLB this year. Not next year, not the year after. Don’t waste his talent in the minors, don’t let him get injured before he has a chance to play. If he even shows a glimpse of greatness bring him on up. And since we’re on the subject, don’t let Harper play catcher anymore. We need to get him out from behind the plate and to first base. Save his knees and save his career. Just like the AL MVP last year, Joe Mauer, his career is going to be shortened by all the beatings they get behind the plate.
So this might be a scary proposition but bringing him to the big leagues THIS year would be a great idea. And if he is good as people say he is then there’s no time to waste.
I do believe that Bryce will be an unbelievable player. But the worry that I have with him is his maturity level. The kid is 17, and has been put on the fast track through high school. Just like how home school kids are mature and brilliant in the real world yet lack social skills, I think Bryce will be socially acceptable, but not know how to handle himself in a professional baseball environment.
ReplyDeleteI agree that you need to get him on the field, especially when you have Strasburg throwing the way he is. But I say give him at least two years in the minors. That makes him 19 or 20 when he gets called up. That's still younger than most everybody in all sports, but it will give him a chance to compete in the minors and work his way up. I think the thing he needs most is to expirience losses. Because he's bound to get some in Washington.
He is amazing, but he is still a kid. Just look at all the eye black he wears. Either his field has the brightest lights on the planet or he thinks he looks like a BA. Draft time is time to grow up.