Few prospects have been hyped for as long or as hard as the Nationals‘ Bryce Harper. When third baseman Ryan Zimmerman was put on the 15-day disabled list it heralded the call-up heard ’round the baseball world: Harper’s debut.
The throng of reporters and circus-like media frenzy that surround the 19-year-old phenom seems oddly justified. Bryce Harper looks like the real deal—a legend in the making.
Of course, all professional ballplayers are special. They have beat long odds and have risen above scores of other young men for the opportunity to come to the show. Every name on every clubhouse locker, and each spot on every manager’s lineup card is, in fact, the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.
But Harper represents something that is even more rare: He is a once-in-a-generation talent. A player destined for All-Star teams and Gold Gloves, for MVP awards and someday Cooperstown. It sounds like a hyperbole for a boy that has just begun a career, but deep down it feels like the truth.
Of one thing I am truly certain: Bryce Harper will sell tickets. Seats will be filled, jerseys will be bought and kids everywhere will start smearing thick eye-black on their faces. The marketing of young Harper has already begun, and that is a train that will only gain speed.
“Why Harper?” You might ask yourself.
Here’s why: He’s a five tool player, although I believe he is even more than that. The tools, for those that don’t know the list are: batting average, power, speed, throwing and defense.
Anyone who saw his 300-foot throw from left field in the seventh inning of Tuesday night’s game knows that his strength and accuracy are, well, other-worldly. As Dan Steinberg wrote in the Washington Post, “The dude can do things that other people just can’t do.”
His first hit in the majors was a laser-beam double that went over the head of Matt Kemp in Dodger Stadium. As Harper sped around first base he knocked off his batting helmet, a calculated bit of theater from a player who will be a true showman of the sport. Bryce Harper was born to be in the spotlight.
He was recently caught playing softball with a group of strangers in the shadow of the Washington Monument. This is the stuff that a publicist’s dreams are made of.
But Harper is earning the hype on the field. He’s making tumbling barehanded three-fingered grabs, as well as key hits. Nationals manager Davey Johnson says of Harper: “The beauty of him is that he hits the ball hard to all fields…He hits the ball where the pitch is thrown.”
Some critics and insiders are saying that young Harper needs to “complete his development” in the minor leagues. I doubt Harper is going down, it doesn’t make sense. He is too compelling to watch, a talent that has far outgrown the minor leagues.
When you watch Bryce Harper you see someone play the game the way it is meant to be played, the way the best little league coaches taught it. He catches with both hands, he runs hard, he keeps the hustle and drives the ball. He loves baseball, and when you distill everything else down—the business, the contracts, the hype and the money—it is really about loving baseball.
Harper doesn’t read anything about himself in the press, he doesn’t need to. He focuses on his game, and he remembers that baseball is a humbling sport. Nationals GM Mike Rizzo said, “This guy is performing admirably in the big leagues. We feel that he’s got a chance to really impact the ballclub.”
The legend of Bryce Harper has begun, and it will be fun to watch. I have a signed baseball from Harper sitting on a bookshelf in my den. Beneath his signature he has scribbled the citation of his favorite Bible scripture: Luke 1:37. It states, “For nothing will be impossible with God.”
I believe that Bryce Harper will be showing all of us that the great game of baseball is about to get just a little bit greater.
See you at the ballpark.
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