Bryce Harper Uses a Yasiel Puig Bat

On August 6th, 2014, Matt Williams got asked not once, but twice in the same day by media members if there was a possibility that Bryce Harper would get sent down to the minor leagues so that he could work on some things and get his swing back. On the surface, it seemed like a good plan.

Happy Birthday, Mevs

Clintoneous Mevolanate Evans was born in a small town in Ohio. His parents made an honest living. His mother worked hard as a part time teacher and full time mother while his father slaved away in the harsh Ohian coal mines so young Clint could watch baseball on the teletube.

Okay, so, most to all of that is untrue. Or so I assume. In the age of social media, people just meet people and become fast friends like me and that Saudi Arabian prince who owes me several hundred thousand dollars and precious gem stones.

Clint is the mastermind behind the underrated baseball blog, Diamond Hoggers, and the fantastic, but hibernating, podacast The Baseball Show. I was lucky enough to be invited to The Baseball Show by our mutual friend, Mike Rosenbaum of Bleacher Report fame. After my first podcast with them, they made me a regular and had to deal with way more than they expected. Derwood even got some airtime on the podcast. If you listen closely, you can still hear him eating pretzels during recordings.

Despite having never met each other in person, Clint is one of my best friends and I can't figure out what to get him for his birthday after my Yasiel Puig impersonator got deported. And I spent so much time teaching him the Icky Shuffle.

In lieu of getting Pseudo-Puig to show up, here are my birthday wishes for Clint:

1. Bryce Harper shows up and demolishes a pinata filled with Bryce Harper memorabilia

2. Clint's little boy learns how to switch hit. His little boy is a bulldog puppy

3. Jay Bruce squares one up and hits a home run from New England to Old England

4. Billy Hamilton steals at least 80 bases for the Reds and one Ferrari for Mevs

5. Fudgie the Whale Ice Cream cake (seriously, Carvel, send me free cake by now)

And for no reason whatsoever, this is the image I use for Clint around these parts...

"that-sah spicy birth-day!"

Pretty sure he isn't even from Mexico.

MLB '13 The Show Needs a Coverboy

Every sport has a signature video game. For baseball, SCE San Diego Studio's MLB The Show Series gives you everything you want in a game of simulation hardball, and each year it seems to deliver more of the things baseball fans want to see.

This year, the player who will don the cover of the game seems like a can't miss no matter how voting ends up. Matt Kemp, CC Sabathia, Andrew McCutchen, Bryce Harper, Buster Posey, Ryan Braun, Miguel Cabrera and Johnny Giavotella are the candidates. Fans can cast their ballot by heading over to MLB.com/covervote and joining in via twitter or Facebook.

Baseball is doing a great job of promoting this as the marquee game of their sport. All hands are on deck with the aforementioned Twitter, Facebook, and MLB.com outlets. Each candidate made a campaign video (here's McCutchen's) and I even heard Colin Cowherd talking about the game with CC Sabathia today on ESPN Radio during my lunch break. 

I can tell you from experience, this game is worthy of all the hype. It's one of the few things in my life that year after year continues to deliver without diminishing returns. Even a new car is only great for the first year you have it. After that, you've got trash on the floor and your friends will smoke cigarettes in it without asking.

This game delivers a feel so real, you'll smell peanuts and pine tar from the minute you throw it in your Playstation. Sorry XBOX owners, you're left out in the cold like George Jung for now. 

If you have the time on your hands, I challenge you to pick the game up and try to play a full 162-game season. It might sound like it gets boring or tedious to some, but you'll never see the same thing twice in this game. And over the course of playing a season with that many game you'll see some rare special things at about the same rate you would see them over the course of the real-life season. You'll get blown out, win an 18-inning game in which you have to insert a pitcher to play left field, make a game saving catch, hit grand slams, have a shot at records, endure slumps, rain delays; it's all in this game if you allow play it out and allow it to come to you. 

Now, head over to twitter and send a simple tweet '#MLB13HARPER' to vote for the guy I want to see on the cover. 

Follow @mlbtheshow for more details of The Show '13 cover vote race. At press time, Andrew McCutchen holds a surprising decisive lead.

Bryce Harper Loves the Media

Here's a phrase that I'll bet you never thought you'd read: "If Bryce Harper makes it to the big leagues this year, he is going to fly under the radar." OK, maybe not completely under the radar, but with Mike Trout doing things that rookies were not allowed to do before this season, young Harper simply disappeared from the headlines for a few months. Now that the postseason is here, and the Nationals have defied conventional thinking by steamrolling there way in, Bryce is back to being the media darling he was expected to be.

After the Nationals got slammed last night by the Cardinals, the media caught up with Artist Formerly Known as the Chose One to ask him about the game and remaining three to be played at Nationals Park. Take it away young man.




First off, nice outfit. Digging the bow tie. And it was very modest of you to ask the reporters if you looked good before the round of questioning began. The basic questions are there and Bryce responds with Crash Davis like efficiency, but then, a curveball. To Bryce's credit, he knocked it out of the park with his "Maybe you should be the hitting coach line." It's hard to blame the reporter for asking the question. How do you not ask a 19 year old if he is over anxious when he is playing on the biggest stage during his rookie year? It has to be asked.

Of course, Harper has a history with clown questions, and although this one was not as memorable as the "Do you have a favorite beer even though you're not of legal drinking age" question, it does rank up there, if only for the response.

Bryce Harper - 2
Media - 0

By the way, sweet Faux Hawk dude.

Matt Kemp Is A Jerkface

I hate throwing around harsh language. I'm both a gentleman and a scholar (according to my mom) so only on the rare occasion would I stoop to calling someone that word. But Matt Kemp is , earmuffs kids, a jerkface. I said it. But why? Kemp, the NL Home Run Derby captain, will not pick Bryce Harper to participate in the event he was born to win...

"It's not because he's a rookie. It's just that there are other guys out there that are capable,'' Kemp told the newspaper. "I'm not saying he wouldn't do a good job in the Home Run Derby. He's going to have plenty of time to participate in many Home Run Derbies. Just not this year. Nothing against him. I love watching him play.''

I mean, really, who wants to see Harper in the Home Run Derby anyway? Oh, everybody who's heard of baseball? Okay, put your hands down.

Sure, Harper only has seven homers in 224 plate appearances (as a 19-year-old). And his 13.3 home run to fly ball ratio is behind Will Venable and Michael Saunders. But having Harper in the HRD is good for the sport and fans even if he doesn't make the All Star Game, which I believe he should. The hype, the ratings, the money... I'll be surprised if Bud Selig doesn't intervene and Harper magically winds up in the HRD.

Somebody close to Kemp should tell him to do the right thing and pick Harper. Does anyone have Rihanna's number? Those last two sentences are actually, completely unrelated.

Bryce Harper Wore A Platinum Sombrero

Baseball phenom Bryce Harper had a bad game on Saturday. And that's being generous. Before I get to his awful night at the plate and some historical stats, let's keep in mind Bryce is just 19-years-old and not just playing Major League Baseball but playing it well. Most of us have had days that could have gone better when we were 19. When I was in college, I gave hobo in Little Five Points $5 to battle rap against a dog. Bad example, that was awesome.

Bryce wasn't so fortunate against the Yankees. Harper went 0-7 with 5 strikeouts and 0 that's a clown question bros. Disappointing all the way around. The Platinum Sombrero (5 strikeouts in a game) isn't that common in baseball. Harper's shiny Mexican hat is the 126th since Lefty Williams in 1918.

There was only one Platinum Sombrero in 2011 when Chris Davis accomplished the feat. Harper marks the third in 2012 following Cody Ross and the aforementioned, swing happy Davis. Davis must have been nodding in approval Saturday when Harper managed to only see 24 pitches in his 7 plate appearances and swung and missed 11 times. Eerily similar to my Little League career.

Harper is just a kid, though. So how bad was his night historically? Three players 21-years-old or younger have earned a Platinum Sombrero. The most recent, and next youngest at 20, was Jason Heyward in 2010. Roberto Meija did it as a 21-year-old in 1993 for the Rockies. But I think that's when Colorado was running a promotion where you got to play for them if you collected the most Count Chocula box tops. Sammy Sosa also did it as a 21-year-old in 1990 when he was a skinny kid playing for the White Sox.

Harper is going to have better days. Many, much better days. But I think this one single game, in its smallest of samples sizes, answers the most important question in baseball right now. And the answer is Mike Trout.

Mike Trout Had An Eventful Day

On Tuesday, the Angels announced they will send baseball wunderkind Mike Trout to play in the Arizona Fall League after their season concludes. This wasn't surprising news as many of the game's top prospects extend their season by playing in the AFL but Trout's destination added to the anticipation. Trout will be roaming the same Scottsdale Scorpions outfield as fellow phenom Bryce Harper giving the defending AFL champions the top two prospects in baseball. While the news is exciting, it was Trout's play on Tuesday night that left me breathing into a paper bag.

Trout got one of his occasional starts against Seattle Mariners southpaw Anthony Vasquez and made the most of it. In the second inning, Trout crushed a 3-2 changeup 408 feet for a solo home run and followed that up by hitting an outside curve out of the park for a three-run home run in the fourth inning. His next plate appearance wasn't nearly as dramatic as he drew a bases-loaded walk for his fifth RBI of the night.

Since being recalled from Double-A, Trout has only been able to rack up 25 plate appearances and Angels fans are clamoring for more. Albeit a very small sample size, Trout is hitting .409/.480/1.000 with four home runs during his second tour of the majors. Unfortunately for Trout, Vernon Wells is hitting .400/.471/.700 over the same stretch in an attempt to dissuade management from euthanizing him.

Of course, Trout's hot hitting could force the Angels hand as they desperately need an offensive spark down the stretch. The Angels remain 3.5 games behind the Rangers with about a month to go. If Trout stays hot and can somehow carry the Angels to the postseason, his name will likely be one of the first removed from AFL participation.

Either way, I have a fever and there's only one cure for it. More Mike Trout.

Off Base NL East Preview

Offbase editors Derwood Morris and MTD haven't had much luck previewing things lately-MTD incorrectly predicted Gary Discarcina would come out of retirement to help the Angels win the 2009 World Series and Derwood thought Teen Wolf 3 would be the 2010 summer blockbuster. But here are division previews anyway.


We start with the NL East, home of the reigning champion Phillies, wild card Braves, and the other three teams.


Philadelphia (2010: 97-65)
The Phils, who lost in the NLCS to the eventual champion Giants, already had Roy Halliday, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels, but they added some bum named Cliff Lee and now everyone from Jim down the street to that other guy are predicting Philly to go 161-1 (September loss to the Astros in a classic trap game). Oh, and they also have Joe Blanton in the rotation. You know the old saying: if Joe Blanton is your No. 5 starter, you'd better have four good pitchers in front of him. The Phillies do. And despite the knee problems for MTD's boyfriend Chase Utley, they should have enough offense with Ryan Howard, whose averaged 46 HR the past five seasons despite a down 2010 season, and....ummm, Raul Ibanez? OK, so maybe they won't have enough offense, but with that pitching it may not matter.

Atlanta (91-71)
There's a new era in Atlanta. No, the Hawks didn't go through with John Koncak Bobblehead Night after all. The Braves are going into a season with someone other than Bobby Cox as manager for the first time since 1989. The Wobbly One retired after taking Atlanta to the playoffs 15 times in 20 seasons. Big adult diapers to fill for Fredi Gonzalez, who used to be a Braves coach and recently was fired as Marlins manager by shortstop Hanley Ramirez. If it wasn't for the Phils rotation, we'd be talking about Atlanta's being the best in the East with Tommy Hanson, Tim Hudson, Jair Jurrjens and Derek Lowe forming a solid quartet. Atlanta has always moved top-Minor League talent to the majors whenever it is ready and 2010 NL ROY runner-up Jason Heyward will be joined this season by top prospect Freddie Freeman, a 2007 second-round draft pick who will play first base. The Braves also added second baseman Dan Uggla (hit at least 31 HR in four straight seasons) from the Marlins in a November trade, and the latest out of spring camp reported Chipper Jones will be brought to home plate in 2011 by-wheelbarrow.

Florida (80-82)
The Marlins unofficially played in front of a total of 440 fans last season, but this isn't about making fun of Marlins' crowds. We'll save that for our daily coverage during the season. This is about a blog writer admittedly knowing very little about a baseball team and trying to fake it in a season preview. Here goes:

* Hanley!
* Josh Johnson!
* Wes Helms!
* Will Javy Vazquez, formerly a terrible pitcher (again) with the Yankees, return to his I Only Pitch Well In The NL form? Does anyone even care?

New York (79-83)
Everyone likes to pick on the Mets because they aren't the Yankees and because they're terrible every year, but have they really been that bad? 2009 was a disaster (70-92), but last season they only finished four games under .500 and they had a winning record in every season from 2005-2008. So what are the reasons for all the pointing and laughing? Oh, wait, I know the reasons:

1. Up until Monday they still employed Oliver Perez and gave him $24 million the last two seasons while he was arguably the worst pitcher in baseball. They'll give him $12 million this season to work at the Chevron down the street from my apartment (speculation).
2. They gave Luis Castillo (career OPS+ of 92) nearly $19 million from '08-'10 and will give him $6 million this season to play for the Phillies.
3. Francisco Rodriguez
4. Omar Minaya
5. Wally Backman
6. They let Jeff Francoeur and his .293 on-base percentage come to the plate 447 times last season.
7. Lenny Dykstra

Washington (69-93)
No Stephen Strasburg. No Bryce Harper. But wait just a minute: the Nats signed Oliver Perez to a minor league contract! While Strasburg recovers from Tommy John and Harper bides his time in the minors (Offbase predicts a September call up), the Nats will hope their offense, led by Ryan Zimmerman (5.2 and 5.3 WAR the last two seasons) and new signee Jason Werth (7 years, $122 million!) can score enough runs to stay out of the cellar. Washington will also have to replace Adam Dunn, who hit 76 home runs and walked 193 times in two seasons in the nation's capital. And don't forget Roger Bernadina. He's on the roster too.

The Sky Fell: Stephen Strasburg Edition

It was fun while it lasted. The Washington Nationals ruined my morning by announcing The Phenom Stephen Strasburg has a "significant tear" in his ulnar collateral ligament which will likely send him to Doc Andrews for Tommy John surgery. This is easily the most disappointing news to come out of Washington D.C. since some political reference. I'm too distraught to even come up with a decent joke. Strasburg-Mania is likely to be shelved for 12-18 months after surgery and rehab. The good news is that he's still just 22-years-old and most pitchers come back almost as strong post TJ.

The bad news is the time that it takes to recover and return to effectiveness. Jordan Zimmermann made his first start last night for the Nats after a 399 day layoff from his Tommy John surgery. It wasn't pretty. He lasted 4 innings and surrendered 5 earned runs on 7 hits. Francisco Liriano had the surgery after the 2006 season and is just now returning to a resemblance of his former effectiveness. Josh Johnson might be the best case scenario for bandwagon jumping Nationals fans such as myself. Johnson went under the knife in August 2007 and returned to the mound in a speedy 11 months. In 47 starts between 2008-2009, he posted a 3.34 ERA and a 3.15 strikeout to walk ratio. This year, Johnson is having his best season with a 2.36 ERA which is right inline with his 2.53 FIP and he should contend for the NL Cy Young.

So is it reasonable to think Strasburg could be contending for the NL Cy Young by 2013 as a 25-year-old? I'd probably take that bet. His pure stuff is so devastating that if he only returns to live at 97 mph instead of 99, he will still make hitters looks foolish with his change up. But 2013 ain't next year and this is severely going to hurt his chase for Cy Young's win record and Nolan Ryan's strikeout record. I normally wouldn't care about such unlikely things except I'm such an impetuous gambler. My grandpa isn't going to be happy to learn I bet his house on Strasburg striking out 400 next season. Sure, I might have been caught up in the hype but I hedged my bet by taking the over 80 on Bryce Harper home runs next season. I'm not a fool.

MLB Draft Signing Deadline: Zach Lee Edition

The MLB draft signing deadline has come and gone with only 3 of the top 50 picks not signing. It was not big surprise that Bryce Harper and Manny Machado signed at the very last minute. But Zach Lee, that one I didn't see coming. Let's take a look at some of yesterday's highlights while I try to reign my Dodger hatred in a little...

Nationals
In no surprise, the Nationals were able to sign Bryce Harper right before the 11:59 p.m deadline last night. It's the second straight year the Nationals have signed once-in-a-lifetime prospects according to Super Agent Soctt Boras. Harper got a 5-year deal worth $9.9 million including a $6.5 million signing bonus. The power hitting 17-year-old will be transitioned to the outfield from catcher to expedite his arrival to the majors. Keith Law Tweeted that the Nats might even send Harper to the AFL in October.

The Nationals also signed 2nd round pick left-handed pitcher Sammy Solis for a $1 million bonus and 4th rounder right-handed pitcher A.J. Cole for a $2 million bonus. Quite the nice haul for the Nationals who are putting together a good core of young players. I've technically been a big fan of theirs since they signed Vladimir Guerrero in 1993 so I don't want to hear any lip about hopping on the bandwagon.

Pirates
Pittsburgh continues to be the biggest spender come draft time. It helps if you're constantly one of the worst teams in baseball but that's just a theory I'm working on. The second overall pick right-handed pitcher Jameson Tallion signed for around a $6 million bonus. Fellow right-handed pitcher Stetson Allie tumbled all the way to the second round before the Pirates drafted him. Allie probably has the most uside of any pitcher in the draft other than Tallion and the Pirates opened up their wallet and paid out $2.25 million for him. Impressive draft.

Orioles
Baltimore gave a $5.25 million bonus to short stop Manny Machado minutes before the deadline.

Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks reached a deal with 6th overall pick pitcher Barret Loux but his physical revealed arm damage. The D-Backs were able to void the contract and, it turns out, Loux will become a free agent. Loux will be able to sign with any team (Diamondbacks?) and the Diamondbacks will receive the 7th pick in next year's draft as compensation.

Padres
The Padres reportedly offered 9th pick overall pitcher Karsten Whitson a $2.1 million bonus but Whitson held out for more and never signed. $2.1 million with a chance to eventually live in San Diego and pitch in a massive pitchers park? Doesn't seem bad to me but I live in New Orleans where the temperature is Fire but with a lot of humidity.

Brewers
The 14th overall pick Dylan Covey declined to sign for a different reason. The pitcher was on his way to signing when his physical revealed Covey has Type 1 diabetes. The Brewers were still interested in signing him but Covey decided it would be better to attend the University of San Diego which is close to home. I wish the kid the best of luck. And if he ever wants to have me out to watch a game and maybe hit a party, my email is on the right of the page.

Angels
The Halos were able to reach a deal with 2-way star Kaleb Cowart. They'll likely give him a chance to play third base before moving him to a full time pitcher.

Rockies
The 26th pick in the draft struck a deal right before the deadline. Outfielder Kyle Parker signed a $1.4 million contract allowing him to still quarterback the Clemson Tigers. By choosing to play football, Parker probably left close to $1 million on the table.

Dodgers
Buckle in kids, I have a lot of venom built up for this one. It was already a bad day for LSU when Anthony Renaudo and LSU commit Lucas LeBlanc ended up signing with Boston. But it got worse when future quarterback, Zach Lee signed with the Dodgers. I was convinced the Dodgers had a near zero percent chance of signing Lee away from LSU as I wrote here and more recently here.

It took $5.25 million to buy Zach Lee out of his LSU commitment and love for football. Where did the Dodgers, tied up in the McCourt divorce, get that kind of cash? I can't be certain, but this has Alyssa Milano written all over it. Lee was already enrolled at LSU and even practiced with the football team that afternoon before signing. Lee might have even had a shot at starting by the end of the season considering the track records of incumbent QBs Jarett Lee and Jordan Jefferson. Of course, the LSU baseball team also suffers losing Lee from their rotation.

The Lee bonus more than doubles Clayton Kersaw's $2.3 million in 2006, the Dogers' former largest bonus. Despite the fate of the franchise being in limbo because of the divorce, the Dodgers both added payroll at the trade deadline and gave out one of the largest bonuses of the draft. I have a feeling this will make me angry for quite some time. Or until Thursday, my attention span isn't very...oh my god, that dog is wearing a hat.

Harper one of Nine Drafted from CSN

Bryce Harper wasn't the only player from the College of Southern Nevada's Junior College World Series team to be drafted. Eight other Coyotes had their name called over the last three days. MTD already talked about Harper's college career. Here's a look at the other eight.


Donn Roach, round 3 compensation (No. 115), Angels
Must've been nice having dozens of scouts at every one of your team's games. Roach took advantage of the Harper hype, making 17 starts and compiling a WHIP barely above 1 and a 2.67 ERA while striking out 142 batters (school record) in 111 1/3 innings. This is the second time the Angels have drafted Roach. After an excellent career at Bishop Gorman HS (Nev.), Anaheim selected him in the 40th round of the '08 draft, but Roach attended the University of Arizona instead. After 20 frustrating appearances as a Wildcat, Roach transfered to CSN.


Comment that has nothing to do with this post

Roach went to Arizona, so that allows me to talk about Scottsdale (AZ) Community College. What is SCC's mascot, no one was asking? The Fighting Artichokes. Fantastic.

You can purchase your Fighting Artichokes t-shirts here.


Kenny McDowall, round 8 (No. 242), Mets
Another right-hander pitcher, McDowall put a lot of runners on base-79 walks and hits in 48 2/3 IP-but also struck out 59.

Aaron Kurcz, round 10 (No. 310), Cubs
Kurcz struggled during his freshman season at the Air Force Academy, compiling an 8.10 ERA in 33 1/3 innings, but things got much better for the right-hander once he enrolled at CSN. Like Roach and McDowall, Kurcz is a strike out pitcher: he rang up 55 batters in 36 2/3 innings as the team's closer. The Cubs have been searching for a closer since 1942, so this could be a match made down the left field line.



Chasen Shreve, round 11 (No. 344), Braves
The left-hander missed seven weeks with tendinitis in his shoulder, but came back to pitch the region-clinching victory for the Coyotes. His walk total-14 in 42 innings-is encouraging, while his struck out total-52-is right in line with his CSN teammates.

Tyler Hanks, round 17 (No. 506), Nationals
Washington gobbled up Hanks with the first pick of the 17th round after the right-hander allowed nine earned runs in 46 innings (1.76 ERA) both starting and out of the bullpen. Hanks, who joins his former teammate Harper in the Nats organization, throws in the mid-90s with an above-average slider.

Jordan Keegan, round 24 (No. 728), Whitesox
Chicago drafted Keegan out of Silverado High School (Nev.) with the 1,080th pick of the 2008 draft, but he played his freshman year at CSN in 2009. After that, I can't help you. MLB.com says Keegan was drafted in the 27th round by the Whitesox, but the CSN website doesn't list him on the 2010 roster or stat sheet. I can't find any news as to Keegan's whereabouts, and frankly, I'm not sure the youngster exists, which would make this a really bad pick.

Bryan Harper, round 27 (No. 820), Cubs
Joe Robinson, round 32 (No. 958), Orioles

Surprise, surprise, two more CSN pitchers who strike out a lot of batters. Bryce's older brother was second to Roach with 96 punch outs in 65 1/3 innings, though the 29 walks, highest on the staff, are a bit troubling. He's not his brother, but 6-5 left-handed pitchers who throw in the low-90s don't dangle off gutters at Starbucks, so the older Harper could be a steal. Robinson fanned 82 in 92 2/3 innings, mostly as a starter. He's committed to transferring to the University of Georgia for the 2011 season, so that may be where the 6-2 right-hander ends up.

NL East Full of Phenoms

When Washington called up Stephen Strasburg and Florida promoted Mike Stanton Tuesday, the pair joined Atlanta's Jason Heyward to form a electric trio in the NL East.

Stanton



All the 76th pick in the 2007 draft did in his first full minor league season was hit 39 home runs with a .993 OPS. He did strike out 153 times, but as the saying goes, chicks don't give a shit about strikeouts as long as you're a ridiculous power hitter. Last season, Stanton split time between Jupiter and Jacksonville and in about the same number of at bats, dipped to just 28 combined home runs and a .341 OBP. But Stanton wasn't fooling around when the Jacksonville season began this spring. He hit 21 home runs, the OBP shot back up to .441 (OPS: 1.167) and the Marlins couldn't wait any longer, calling him up for his big league debut Tuesday.

Heyward



Also a member of the '07 draft class, Heyward went from the No. 14 overall pick out of Henry County High School (McDonough, GA) to the starting right fielder on opening day in two years. He was a sandlot legend during his youth baseball days and the Braves always scout heavy in their own state. So it was no surprise when Atlanta chose the 6-5, 240-pounder with its first pick. In his first full year of pro ball with the Rome Braves, Heyward tore up the Sally League, collecting 217 total bases, a .323 batting average and a .388 OBP in 120 games. His promotion to Myrtle Beach was brief, and uneventful (22 at bats), but in 2009 Heyward split time between Myrtle Beach, Mississippi and Gwinnett and hit a combined .323 with a .408 OBP. The Braves thought he was ready, he broke camp with the big league club this spring and is the current favorite to win the NL Rookie of the Year.

Strasburg



Unless this guy wins it. Strasburg has been hyped so much that after his big league debut, someone said Strasburg and Walter Johnson in the same sentence and didn't include the words "has always been a fan of". That debut was sparkling-7 IP, 14 K, 0 BB-and while its only one start, it's clear Strasburg has stuff, mainly a blazing fast ball and a filthy curve ball, that's there with the best in baseball. I would have a detailed account of Strasburg's journey to the big leagues, but there's not much to say. He was drafted No. 1 overall in 2009, made 11 starts combined at Harrisburg and Syracuse this spring, allowing eight earned runs in 55 1/3 innings (1.30 ERA), and the Nats called him up faster than you can say we need to try and save Jim Riggleman's job!


That's three potential superstars in a division that already includes Hanley Ramirez and will soon include Bryce Harper.

Weekly Cup Of Joe

I prefer to think of this as more of a tribute to Fire Joe Morgan than a blatant ripoff. But who are we really kidding here?

Joe was conspicuously absent from the chat page over at the Four Letter on Tuesday so I almost missed his Joe Chat today. Surely he had a good excuse for pushing it back a day. Perhaps he was studying film of freshly drafted super prospects. Let's grab a nugget of wisdom...

Woody (C-Ville)

With everyone increasing the hype about Bryce Harper, do you see him becoming a star, average player or a bust?

Joe Morgan (11:17 AM)

I've never seen him play but Strasburg has proven himself. We have to give Harper that same chance. It's harder to become a refined hitter than a pitcher. Hitting is just tougher to do, period. It's harder to find a super hitter in my opinion. That said, because I've never seen him, I'll have to see what he does. He may be the new Ted Williams, you never know.

I even have a problem with this question. Obviously, it's way too early to project what 17-year-old is going do in ten years. The hype is about his tools. He has monster power and a plus-plus arm but nobody is writing him into the Hall of Fame yet. Strasburg was a different case entirely. He destroyed college hitters and was ready to take the mound on opening day this year.

Now on to Joe's response. Why would he even take this question if he hasn't seen Bryce Harper? I'll tell you why. He just wanted to point out that it's so much harder to be a hitter rather than a pitcher. Just ignore that throwing a pitch is an unnatural motion for the human arm. Forget that pitchers blow out their elbows every year and the surgery to repair them is named after a pitcher. But yeah, hitting a baseball is hard. Really hard. I just find it strange that good pitching is always in such demand.

Since Joe hasn't seen Bryce Harper, he'll have to wait to see what he does. That's not an answer, sir. Just start making stuff up at this point. How much damage could your credibility really take? I'd respect you more if you told this guy that Bryce Harper is the greatest baseball player since Joe Morgan. No, I'm just kidding, I'd rip you more. See ya next week, Joe.

Bryce Harper: Outfielder

As expected, Bryce Harper was drafted first overall by the Washington Nationals. Within his first 20 seconds as a professional, he switched from being a catcher to an outfielder. Bud Selig announced the Nationals were drafting Bryce Harper, outfielder, Nevada. Which is exactly what his agent, the evil Dr. Boras, said he was going to be anyway.

I'm not sure it puts a huge dent in his value compared to how much this will speed up his ETA to the majors. Maybe for the fans, he will just catch Strasburg. Who didn't want to see that? They're both once-in-a-lifetime prospects!

Bryce Harper's Interesting College Career

Power hitting phenom, Bryce Harper, will be the number one pick by the Nats at Monday's amateur draft. The 17-year-old took an interesting path to the draft by exploiting a loophole. Harper dropped out of high school, got his G.E.D. and enrolled in a junior college. MLB happens to let JUCO kids into the draft after just one season. A smart move in Harper's case. But I did question how many delusional parents will follow The Harper Path.

Harper goes to school. Harper enrolled at the College of Southern Nevada for the sole purpose of mashing homeruns for the Prostitute Killers [ed.-may not actually be CSN's mascot, little research was done]. And Harper mashed away to the tune of 29 hrs and .442/.524/.986. During the JUCO World Series he managed to go 6-7 and hit for the cycle, only to go 6-6 the next day with 4 homeruns. A similar feat to what I accomplished in the magical summer of '92. Sure, some will say I had a short porch in left in my backyard or that I filled my Wiffle Ball bat with sand, but you'll never take it away from me!

Harper giveth, Harper taketh away. In the 5th inning of Southern Nevada's JUCO World Series game, Harper was called out on strikes. Harper drew a line in the dirt, presumambly to show the umpire where he thought the pitch was. The umpire immediately ejected him, presumably so the world would know the name Don Gilmore. And you shall know my name is Don Gilmore when I eject Baseball Jesus with the toss of a finger. Surprisingly, the Harperless team would go on to lose that game. Since it was Harper's second ejection of the season, he was suspended for two games. Southern Nevada would get knocked out of the tourney the next day.

Harper's Bad Attitude. Of course, now there are some scouts that question Bryce Harper's makeup and have labeled him a hot-head. Obviously, none of that will cost him the top slot in the draft, the kid absolutely rakes. But I think it's interesting. The kid, from all accounts, received the ball well this season and Jim Callis called him the greatest power hitting prospect of all time in a recent chat. Are some scouts just looking for something bad to pin on him? Bryce Harper was on the cover of SI at 16. In the new era of Twitter and the Internet of every phone, he's getting to be more hyped than LeBron James was when he came out of high school. Yeah, the kid has some growing up to do. Let's see if we can allow him to do it. If I had had all of that press by 17, my head would have exploded. And I would have quit baseball due to all of the, um, let's call it, female attention.

Bryce Harper gets rich Monday. Harper will get drafted first overall by the Washington Nationals on Monday. He will be the second consecutive, Boras represented, once-in-a-lifetime prospect the Nationals drafted. They drafted Strasburg last year in case you don't watch baseball or have the Internet. In which case, you're not exactly our target audience. Harper will likely sign the day before the deadline for somewhere between Mark Teixeira's $9.5 million deal and Strasburg's $15.67 million deal from last year. Boras will obviously push for a record breaking deal because he doesn't have enough money yet to build his TIE Fighter to fight George Lucas in space. Either way, Harper will be one rich kid. As strange as it sounds, he will join a promising Washington Nationals franchise. Nah, they'll screw it up. Riggleman'd.