Bryce Harper Loses It

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Originally posted by TPM:
As far as I am concerned, this manager has plenty of pro experience (whether it be as a player or at the coaching level).

This is also a person that is supposed to develop and set an example for players who may get to the next level.

My point WAS and still IS, that while there are those quick to condemn 19 year old behavior, the above shows us (action not acceptable) how frustrating the game can be even for adults.

Does this mean the player is selfish, spoiled?

To some yes, but likely the same people who go to bed at night dreaming of their sons being the next Bryce Harper.

And he was punished for his behavior. With more consequences likely. No one is making excuses for him is my point.

quote:

Originally posted by AntzDad:
Looks like he has pro experience to me.

Mike Schildt

Apparently I was too subtle. He has no pro playing experience and in my estimation may have moved up too quickly in the pros as, in my estimation, has Bryce.

The Nationals have a ton invested in Bryce. I'm good with letting them decide how to handle everything. I'm sure they addressed it, if for no other reason, he could have put his eye out and ended his career.

This will not be the last or even worst Bryce incident. He is extremely competitive and has a short fuse! Hopefully time will help a little with the short fuse while he stays the competitor he is now.

BTW... There are a lot of crazy guys in the Big leagues. I'm sure a lot of them wouldn't be there if the umpires were picking them.

Maybe this article will help dispel some preconceived notions about Bryce Harper among the posters on this board:

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/s...-on-teammates-060612

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That's a good article. Thanks for posting it Emanski's Heroes.



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Thanks for posting the article. FWIW, after some incident last year, Rizzo raved about the respect and admiration teammates had for Harper. I made sure my son watched the highlight where Harper turned a single into a double on Heyward's laziness. I think there will be many more good examples out of Harper.

Great article. Thanks for posting it!

Good article. The article ignores past behavior. But it shows how his teammates are rallying around him and are protective of him. Harper had to earn this. The article also shows how Harper has matured by being in the majors where he's huge prospect but not the big fish in the small pond ... yet.

There's a tendency for cynics to look for the bad when a player advances faster than people believe he should. The focus and pressure on Harper is intense. I admit I check his game almost every night. I've never done this except for sons of friends.

For a player who takes such a huge hack, particularly a 19 year old, his current strikeout rate projects out to 90 K's over 500 AB. Pretty darn good.

Mike Trout, who is only 14 months older than Harper, and is having a huge year so far, actually is striking out a bit more often than Harper this season over roughly the same amount of AB.

Speaking of Trout, while I haven't read of him breaking things, he has an edge similar to Harper. Very intense, extremely confident, very exuberant on the field, could almost rub the opposition the wrong way, I could envision.

For Angel fans, Trout is kind of our version of Harper. Unbelievable tools and make-up, insane potential. Tons of media coverage and spotlight on him in So Cal, but he's maybe flying a little under the radar on a national media scale right now, given the national spotlight on Harper?

As I've stated before, both of these guys will become superstars of the first magnitude barring injury. Everyday that passes by just confirms it more. They are already among the best players on their teams and it won't be long until they are among the best players in their league. After that, the sky's the limit.

Any of the old timers remember Gary? Wonder if he still thinks Lebron James was way over rated and over hyped when he was in high school?

Whether people like or dislike Bryce or Lebron, or even if they can find fault with them. I'm guessing most realize they were not over rated and there was a reason for the hype.

quote:

Originally posted by PGStaff:
Any of the old timers remember Gary? Wonder if he still thinks Lebron James was way over rated and over hyped when he was in high school?

Whether people like or dislike Bryce or Lebron, or even if they can find fault with them. I'm guessing most realize they were not over rated and there was a reason for the hype.

People typically have two issues with LeBron James. 1) The self aggrandizement of his ESPN special announcing his free agent decision, and 2) self appointing himself King at age eighteen. You can't be the king if you can't win the ring.

Harper's problem is just being on the receiving end of the all the hype. It's not his fault. It's just the way society is now. Some want to jump on the bandwagon and fawn. Others want to slay the target of the fawning.

Often the fawning is unwarranted. Anyone who follows basketball closely knows OJ Mayo was supposed to be better than LeBron. Kenny Anderson and Sebastaian Telfair were can't miss all-world.

Personally I dislike hype. I'm willing to recognize potential. But then the person has to earn it on the field of competition at the highest levels.

Harper isn't a star yet. He has his star moments. What he's accomplished is amazing for his age. But let's have him make a few all-star teams before he's annointed all-world.

Trout is well on his way to being named an All Star this season, his current stat line through today's game, with 152 AB:

349 BA - 416 OBP - 559 SLG 13 stolen bases.

WOW

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You can't be the king if you can't win the ring.

Love that quote!

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Harper's problem is just being on the receiving end of the all the hype. It's not his fault.

Umm... SI put him on the cover awfully early in his life I understand that. But HE put the "war paint" on and presented himself that way. That is HIS fault.

Trout is surrounded by big name veterans on a team that's won it all not too long ago. It's easy to see that he's going to be one of those big names himself if he isn't already. But the pressure is not on him the way it is on Harper.

The Nats chose to use Harper, and the return of Strasburg from injury, as the primary selling points for the team. They were the hope for the future for a team that has languished near the bottom since before they moved to town. Yes, Harper had hype before, but the hype at the MLB level is largely the Nats' strategy to put fannies in the seats and up the TV ratings. (Anyone notice they recently started angling for a more lucrative TV deal?)

To me, for Harper to be doing what he's doing when the spotlight is so heavily on him every night is pretty special. And he is still nowhere near as big and strong as he's going to be. Go back and look at how A-Rod looked at age 19 vs. 25, etc. Athletes fill out in those years (even without steroids). And I also give him credit for learning to keep his mouth shut over the last 3 years, too.

AGE - 19
GP - 36
BA - .288
HR - 6
RBI - 17
OBP - .367
SLG - .532
SB - 3

The cliche is "like a man amongst boys", but it's pretty remarkable for a "kid" playing against "men". If you see him play on a regular basis, its obvious that it is not just hype. And he's just scratching the surface.

The question I ask myself is, if my son was still in high school, which of these two young man would I hope he would emulate?

Easy answer...Trout, the one with talent and the maturity to handle it.

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Whether people like or dislike Bryce or Lebron, or even if they can find fault with them. I'm guessing most realize they were not over rated and there was a reason for the hype.

Just trying to figure this out. Does anyone disagree with the above statement? Surely not with Lebron, he's been the NBA MVP three times already.

Harper obviously hasn't accomplished what Lebron has, but he is already in the Big Leagues and doing well. Even if he doesn't live up to all the hype he got in high school, doesn't it appear that the hype was justified?

Trout did not have that kind of hype when he was in high school. If he did it would be hard to say he didn't deserve it.

I'm not sure hype is an advantage. All it does is put the one being hyped under a microscope.

quote:

Originally posted by PGStaff:

quote:

Whether people like or dislike Bryce or Lebron, or even if they can find fault with them. I'm guessing most realize they were not over rated and there was a reason for the hype.

Just trying to figure this out. Does anyone disagree with the above statement? Surely not with Lebron, he's been the NBA MVP three times already.

I agree with the above, these guys defiantly not overrated.

LeBron isn't overrated. He's just disliked for the way he left Cleveland. He never called the Cavs front office. And the live tv show itself. Then Lebron proceeded to state with Wade and Bosh they will win six NBA titles. How about winning one first? They struggled through seven games against a very mediocre, injury riddled Celtics team.