Bryce Harper in AZ

Also, nearly everyone will be able to watch Bryce Harper in the Aflac Game at Petco Park in a little over a week from now. Televised on FSN. Game time 5:00 PCT Sunday August 16th. He will be catching and hitting against several of the top pitchers in the country.

what is FSN?

FSN - Fox Sports Network

He's an outstanding player, no doubt about that. However, I am starting to think that too many people are getting caught up in hype, and forgetting that young Mr. Harper is still only 17 years old.

I had the opportunity to watch him play in 2 games last Sunday. One of those games was against my own team, and the other against another Northern CA team. What I saw was a very good player who had a very ordinary day. He was 0-7 in the at-bats I witnessed, and I don't recall him getting a single ball out of the infield. When you combine that with a couple poor throws to 2nd base and a few other things I witnessed, it was easy to remember that he's still a young man, not Superman. He'll likely be a very good player when he's a bit older, but too many expectations, and unrealistic expectations, have the potential to ruin him, just like any other teenager.

I think it would be good for all concerned to keep his age in mind when watching him. He's not Johnny Bench, at least not yet.

He won't turn 17 until October, and that only re-inforces 06catchersdad's point.

He's an excellent ball player, however he has good days, and (relatively speaking) bad days. Some days everything is easy; other times frustration can set in. He's big, strong, and more productive than nearly everybody his age. So there is a tendency to react to him as an adult.

But he's still just a kid! And sometimes it shows.

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Some days everything is easy; other times frustration can set in

Sounds like baseball in a nut shell.

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Brings up an interesting point...my observation is that...regardless of ability...the illogical human nature of decision makers always comes into play...

- IF a player is new and fresh and without Hype, young or obscure, it it easy for decision makers to love him as they want to be the one to find the newest sensation.

- IF a player has no current hype and has a little seasoning it is really hard to get the "respect' he needs to move forward. Decision makers are not willing to stick their necks out on "known" quantities. Hard to swim against the current.

- IF you have somehow acquired some hype (earned or not)it is easy for decision makers/fans to jump on the bandwagon and your success comes easier, as the decision makers have both a crowd and low risk.

- IF a player has the BIG hype there is nowhere to go but down in the eyes of observers. They look for chinks in the armor.


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That's a great observation 44! In many ways, baseball scouting is defined by the term 'groupthink'. Harper will be loved and hyped by scouts and decision makers. His story will probably dwarf the hype we just witnessed with Strasburg. The bandwagon is gaining momentum and it's going to take a lot of courage to jump off. On the other hand, less invested observers (including the parents of Harper's peers) may become his harshest critics.

By the way, Josh Hamilton was a "chosen one" much like Harper. The hype for Hamilton was there, just not as big, and nothing like the cover of SI! I hope Bryce Harper and his parents can avoid the harsh lessons of Hamilton's earlier years.

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By the way, Josh Hamilton was a "chosen one" much like Harper. The hype for Hamilton was there, just not as big, and nothing like the cover of SI! I hope Bryce Harper and his parents can avoid the harsh lessons of Hamilton's earlier years.

Matt Bush comes to mind as casualty

What bothers me the most is that people almost seem to delight in a player having a bad day. I, too, have been told that Bryce Harper went 0-3 once. And after Strasburg lost the Regional game, I read an article that suggested maybe he shouldn't be the number one pick because he lost that game.

Are these people stupid? Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941. So he was UNsuccessful 6 out of 10 at bats. Baseball is a game built on failure and you surely cannot judge a player based on one game.

OR, do these people just get off on other people's failures?

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Originally posted by observer44:
.
Brings up an interesting point...my observation is that...regardless of ability...the illogical human nature of decision makers always comes into play...

- IF a player is new and fresh and without Hype, young or obscure, it it easy for decision makers to love him as they want to be the one to find the newest sensation.

- IF a player has no current hype and has a little seasoning it is really hard to get the "respect' he needs to move forward. Decision makers are not willing to stick their necks out on "known" quantities. Hard to swim against the current.

- IF you have somehow acquired some hype (earned or not)it is easy for decision makers/fans to jump on the bandwagon and your success comes easier, as the decision makers have both a crowd and low risk.

- IF a player has the BIG hype there is nowhere to go but down in the eyes of observers. They look for chinks in the armor.


.

So is it possible to be noticed too early, be overexposed, overalyzed and picked apart before being eligible for the draft?

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By the way, Josh Hamilton was a "chosen one" much like Harper. The hype for Hamilton was there, just not as big, and nothing like the cover of SI! I hope Bryce Harper and his parents can avoid the harsh lessons of Hamilton's earlier years.

Let's hope the club that drafts Harper learns a lesson from the Hamilton situation and doesn't try to prematurely force separation between the teen player and the parents. Josh didn't have any problems until his parents were not around for him. Every kid is different. Harper may be ready to be on his own. But all indications are Josh wasn't ready and the club didn't recognize that.

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I didn't know that Hamilton wasn't ready at the outset. Can you elaborate? I know that he became addicted to painkillers and drugs, but wasn't that a result of injuries? Your statement sounds more like Monday morning quarterbacking.

Give his book a read. He talks about it at length. There were many things going on at that time with him. But he does talk at length about how the club didn't like his parents being around...it was frowned upon. It just happens (if I recall things right) that their separation was at the same time as the accident that trigger his addiction issues. Clearly the addiction issues were there when his parents were around. But Josh didn't hide the fact he liked them being around and the club didn't. Would the same thing had happened to Josh had the club been supportive of his parents being around? Who knows...but I don't think so.

Thanks, Tx.

I deleted my post after reading a little about Josh on Wikipedia. I saw where his parents quit their jobs and traveled with him until their injuries from an accident changed things.

What a nice fantasy, though. Watching all the kid's games and loving off his bonus. Where can I sign up?

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Thanks, Tx.

I deleted my post after reading a little about Josh on Wikipedia. I saw where his parents quit their jobs and traveled with him until injuries from an accident changed things.

What a nice fantasy, though. Watching all the kid's games and living off his bonus. Where can I sign up?

Have fun!

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Where can I sign up?

I found this folded up paper in the back of my file cabinet. It was with a bunch of junk mail from some company called CPS. Maybe it is important after all.

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Originally posted by biggerpapi:
What bothers me the most is that people almost seem to delight in a player having a bad day. I, too, have been told that Bryce Harper went 0-3 once. And after Strasburg lost the Regional game, I read an article that suggested maybe he shouldn't be the number one pick because he lost that game.

Are these people stupid? Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941. So he was UNsuccessful 6 out of 10 at bats. Baseball is a game built on failure and you surely cannot judge a player based on one game.

OR, do these people just get off on other people's failures?

papi, I'm not sure if your comments are in general, or were directed toward my posting. In no way do I wish to see this young man fail, not at all. What does concern me is the unrealistic expectations that too often are heaped upon such young players, and what can happen to them negatively as a result. If your comments are in response to my observations about him having an average day for a teenager, not sure how to respond as I saw what I saw. In fact, I saw plenty that day that I'd never post here, though I did email a friend who has direct access to someone that is close to young Mr. Harper, so that they can consider some of these things going forward. I won't post publicly what those comments were about, though. I'd like to see him succeed very much, and hope he exceeds expectations. The more things like the SI cover happen, the harder it'll be to even come close to living up to expectations that will result.

Oh Infidel... you are, well, an Infidel!!!!

thanks for the chuckle (the wind is blowing so hard in Kansas right now that Bobble will probably hear me tonight in Canada)

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If your comments are in response to my observations about him having an average day for a teenager, not sure how to respond as I saw what I saw.

06 - I don't think biggerpapi was referring to your post. I sure didn't read it that way. And the way I read your post was to warn people from thinking that a 16 year old phenom is somehow immune from the vicissitudes of baseball.

That isn't anything close to delighting in him having a bad day, and I don't think papi was implying that you were saying that.

No, I didn't mean anyone in particular. I just don't like saying bad things about kids. And baseball is such an up and down game that I can't judge a player by one or two games.

Read Perfect Game's ratings of Harper...they can't say enough good things about him. I think they're credible.

From a baseball point of view, he's clearly awesome and has a great future. As a parent though, I worry about thrusting a teenager into a world of adults but it's not my decison.

Dounutman, was there an entourage following Mr. Harper at these games? Guys with radar guns?

The series isn't until Feb. I know of a few people going. It should be quite a crowd. Great for every player on both teams.