All Hail Harper!

Ever since reading the June 8, 2009 issue of Sports Illustrated (I know the date because it has become one of my prized possessions after I sent it to him for an autograph while he was still in high school and he obliged), I have been on the HarperMania bandwagon. How could you not be? Sure he can be a little flashy, like when he blew a kiss to the opposing pitcher after sending one to Saturn. Think about when you were 19 years old and now place yourself in his position, wouldn't you be just a little flashy? I know I would be. He will grow up when he reaches the big leagues, and he will reach the big leagues. Before this becomes a living let the kids have some fun and do stupid things, so long as stupid doesn't harm individuals or end up with jail time.

There has never been this kind of hype surrounding a position player in the history of the game. Social media and the competition in the sports media market is mostly responsible for this. After all, ESPN, SI, The Sporting News, and everything between, not to mention the one billion bloggers are all looking for the next big thing to increase readership and followers. Twitter and Facebook have accounts and pages dedicated to Harper and the mania he has created with his ability to send baseballs to Duluth with a flick of his wrists. So far, in his first professional season, he has not disappointed.

Harper started out the year at Hagerstown and quickly impressed scouts. He managed to hit .318 with 17 doubles, 14 homers, 46 RBI, 19 steals, and a .423 on-base percentage in 72. Scouts said he started to look bored and the Nationals braintrust agreed, promoting him to AA Harrisburg, a significant jump from Low-A ball. In his first three games at Harrisburg, Harper has hit .500 (5 for 10) with 2 RBI, 1 steal, and 1 walk. He has not struck out yet so clearly he doesn't think he is overmatched. Granted, that strikeout will come but it is evident AA is going to have to adjust to him rather than him adjusting to AA at this point.

So, what's next for the next Baseball King? I doubt Washington will rush him just for the sake of putting fans in the seats. That would most likely hinder Harper's development. However, if he shows he can handle AA pitching with the ease he handled A pitching a trip to AAA might be in order. The Nationals could keep him in AA this year and possibly promote him to AAA next year if he shows progress in Spring Training. Or, the Nats could promote him to AAA this year and put him on the Big League roster next season with a strong Spring. Unlike Stephen Strasburg (who should be back by the end of the year or will start fresh next season giving the Nats their needed ace), the Nats don't really have to protect anything on Harper's body except his mind. They don't want to hurt his confidence by promoting him just for the sake of selling tickets and risking stunting his development. They also don't want to keep him at minor league stops unnecessarily because he might get bored and let his mind wander like it appeared to do at Low A. Whatever the Nationals decide to do they know they have a gem and someone who will bring excitement and anticipation like Strasburg did last year. Soon, baseball will be very relevant in Washington, D.C. when Strasburg Jordan Zimmerman, and John Lannan are joined in the rotation by Brad Peacock who is lighting up AA right now. The lineup will be extremely formidable with Ryan Zimmerman, who is still only 26, Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon, Tyler Moore, Michael Morse, Danny Espinosa, Ian Desmond, and a host of others. The Nationals are going to be making it a 3-way race in the NL East like it is in the AL East right now. Bryce Harper is going to be a huge factor behind that.