Bryce Harper the next poster boy for roids?

[SlinkyRedfoot]

but he stumbles in October

Meh. I'm no fan of Scherzer, but I don't think there's enough data to conclude that.

 

[LucklessPadresFan]

Bryce Harper showed up to Spring Training running his cocky mouth.

Upon his arrival here this spring, talking about the Max Scherzer signing, he said, "I just started laughing. I was like, 'Where's my ring?'"

He reiterated that he's going to bring a title to D.C. And he repeated during an early morning conversation with Bleacher Report on Wednesday that with a rotation like the Nationals have built, "How can we lose?"

Nationals' Bryce Harper: 'Everybody in This League Wants to Beat Us' | Bleacher Report

Harper reminds me of JD Drew when he came up with the Cardinals. I don't remember where I read this but in his full season he was really struggling and he had asked for, or received, an outrageously high salary and was popping off his mouth. While in Philadelphia playing the Phillies, the crowd really got on him and started throwing money clips at him. The Nationals will now be the team everyone outside of DC loves to hate.

 

[Indrid Cold]

Harper reminds me of JD Drew when he came up with the Cardinals. I don't remember where I read this but in his full season he was really struggling and he had asked for, or received, an outrageously high salary and was popping off his mouth. While in Philadelphia playing the Phillies, the crowd really got on him and started throwing money clips at him. The Nationals will now be the team everyone outside of DC loves to hate.

To me, JD had close to no personality and just did what Scott Boras told him. I can't think of any time he said anything interesting to the media in StL, Atlanta, or Boston.
Harper is pretty cocky and likes to run his mouth. I thought the "clown question" sound bite was pretty damned funny and appropriate given that the reporter probably knew he was talking to a Mormon. I still think Bryce could be a 500 HR guy, but he's fallen way behind Trout as the most exciting young player right now...Harper has tons of potential, Mike has lots of accomplishments instead.

 

[broncosmitty]

Meh. I'm no fan of Scherzer, but I don't think there's enough data to conclude that.

He got knocked around hard by the Rangers a few years ago, bad. And had an unimpressive start last year against the Orioles. But he's been fine in the playoffs. It's not like he's James Shields or anything.

The part about not going more than seven was dead on though.

 

[Loneranger]

To me, JD had close to no personality and just did what Scott Boras told him. I can't think of any time he said anything interesting to the media in StL, Atlanta, or Boston.
Harper is pretty cocky and likes to run his mouth. I thought the "clown question" sound bite was pretty damned funny and appropriate given that the reporter probably knew he was talking to a Mormon. I still think Bryce could be a 500 HR guy, but he's fallen way behind Trout as the most exciting young player right now...Harper has tons of potential, Mike has lots of accomplishments instead.

JD Drew might be the dumbest athlete in history so we'll give him a free pass for doing what Boras told him. As for Harper , I would expect he will play for 6 +/- teams in his career. The Trout comparisons are over for good. He's more mouth than anything and will wear out his welcome on a regular basis. He simply isn't what he was touted to be.

 

[Indrid Cold]

JD Drew might be the dumbest athlete in history so we'll give him a free pass for doing what Boras told him. As for Harper , I would expect he will play for 6 +/- teams in his career. The Trout comparisons are over for good. He's more mouth than anything and will wear out his welcome on a regular basis. He simply isn't what he was touted to be.

He's only 22 years old and I think it is completely foolish to write him off at this point. More than anything, he needs to stay healthy for a few years so he can develop...people were all over Mantle when he was 21 because he hit under .300 and had a better season when he was 20. Wait and see...
Drew may or not have been dumb, but he was sure silent and didn't much impression as to giving a damn. I will say that he had one of the top three BP sessions I ever saw in my life, which is pretty impressive for a guy his size.

 

[Loneranger]

He's only 22 years old and I think it is completely foolish to write him off at this point. More than anything, he needs to stay healthy for a few years so he can develop...people were all over Mantle when he was 21 because he hit under .300 and had a better season when he was 20. Wait and see...
Drew may or not have been dumb, but he was sure silent and didn't much impression as to giving a damn. I will say that he had one of the top three BP sessions I ever saw in my life, which is pretty impressive for a guy his size.

Good point on Drew. He will be remembered by everyone as a guy who didn't give a damn about anything. He didn't and he deserves to be remembered that way. As for Harper , yeah he's young but he's also been around a couple yrs. He's so far removed from Trout in every measurable way he can't be compared to him. Trout is known as a balls to the wall player , Harper is known as a fuckin head case and he's 22 yrs old. That's about all I need to know about him.

 

[Indrid Cold]

Good point on Drew. He will be remembered by everyone as a guy who didn't give a damn about anything. He didn't and he deserves to be remembered that way. As for Harper , yeah he's young but he's also been around a couple yrs. He's so far removed from Trout in every measurable way he can't be compared to him. Trout is known as a balls to the wall player , Harper is known as a fuckin head case and he's 22 yrs old. That's about all I need to know about him.

I agree that Bryce has a mouth, but he also hustles...sometimes TOO much, like into walls at full speed. How ironic that he first got hurt last year doing something stupid on the bases after his IDIOT manager (who was probably a little jealous) pulled him out of a game for not running 110% on a routine grounder...he wasn't loafing and was only doing what 99% of ML players do.
I agree that Trout is far more accomplished and will most likely have a better career, but, I'll repeat, I still think Harper is likely to be a 500 HR guy. He's gotten so big that he probably won't be the all around player that many hoped for.

 

[LucklessPadresFan]

Outside of Little League, I have never played much organized sports. But a very good friend of mine played in the Cubs minor league system and was called up in the fall a half dozen times when the roster was expanded. He used to tell me that players knew which guys were head cases and they would ride them all game long to try and get them off their game. For some guys, it didn't make a bit of difference, but for others, it would get under their skin and screw up their whole game. I have to wonder if opposing teams try and mess with Harper. He is clearly not a Tony Gwynn type of guy that everyone loves and respects. I would love for Harper to be the Medonza Line poster boy this year. Not much chance of that happening, but it would be sweet to see him struggle.

 

[SlinkyRedfoot]

The Trout comparisons are over for good.

Thank you, Miss Cleo.

 

[Indrid Cold]

Thank you, Miss Cleo.

When she was young, I couldn't decide if she was hideous or kinda hot in an exotic way.
Now, she's hideous.

 

[Loneranger]

did I mention I don't like Harper LOL? Anyway here's some background. I've played pro ball and have scouted so here's my take from a few yrs ago when I saw Harper as a 17 yr old. I was watching him play for Team USA btw. I was NOT there scouting , my son was there and I made an effort to watch Harper. So a couple weeks later I'm at an event(with my son again) and find myself shooting the breeze with a scout from the Cubs. He hadn't seen Harper and asked what I thought of him. I told him the kid will never catch in pro ball. He was a horrible catcher and was going nowhere at that position. Most important is the fact he never should have been catching to begin with. He's a tremendous athlete and can run. This was obvious to me before I saw him do anything. I also told this guy the kid had the kind of arm we rarely see. So he says " you think he's a RF?". I said probably but he definitely has the athleticism to play CF all day with anyone. I told him after watching him play twice against the best teenagers in the country I was not sold on his bat. It's only 2 games but I just didn't see what everyone was talking about. I finished the conversation by saying Harper reminds be of Andy VanSlyke. A great athlete , potential for being a real good outfielder but not the best in the game. That was my "report" from a few yrs back. How far off am I? Not very. The biggest difference is Harper has power Van Slyke never had. Other than that they're pretty similar

Full disclosure : I did not scout amateur players , just pro ball. I no longer scout except for fun

 

[Indrid Cold]

did I mention I don't like Harper LOL? Anyway here's some background. I've played pro ball and have scouted so here's my take from a few yrs ago when I saw Harper as a 17 yr old. I was watching him play for Team USA btw. I was NOT there scouting , my son was there and I made an effort to watch Harper. So a couple weeks later I'm at an event(with my son again) and find myself shooting the breeze with a scout from the Cubs. He hadn't seen Harper and asked what I thought of him. I told him the kid will never catch in pro ball. He was a horrible catcher and was going nowhere at that position. Most important is the fact he never should have been catching to begin with. He's a tremendous athlete and can run. This was obvious to me before I saw him do anything. I also told this guy the kid had the kind of arm we rarely see. So he says " you think he's a RF?". I said probably but he definitely has the athleticism to play CF all day with anyone. I told him after watching him play twice against the best teenagers in the country I was not sold on his bat. It's only 2 games but I just didn't see what everyone was talking about. I finished the conversation by saying Harper reminds be of Andy VanSlyke. A great athlete , potential for being a real good outfielder but not the best in the game. That was my "report" from a few yrs back. How far off am I? Not very. The biggest difference is Harper has power Van Slyke never had. Other than that they're pretty similar

Full disclosure : I did not scout amateur players , just pro ball. I no longer scout except for fun

I respect your opinion, but Van Slyke didn't even make the majors until he was 22, and Harper is going into his 4th ML season at that age...he's just way ahead of the curve that Andy was on.
I tend to see Harper's lack of development beyond his rookie performance to be more injury related than anything, but he could certainly turn out to be another Cesar Cedeno with an early 20s peak...progress in a great prospect is by no means guaranteed.
I also think that Bryce is getting so damned big that CF will not be an option before long. Both he and Trout are emphasizing adding LOTS of muscle, which I'm not sure is a great idea...Willie Mays played so great for so long with tremendous power at, what, 175 pounds??

 

[moxie]

Both he and Trout are emphasizing adding LOTS of muscle, which I'm not sure is a great idea

I'm in agreement here... gonna lose a step adding too much muscle on their frames.

 

[Loneranger]

I'm in agreement here... gonna lose a step adding too much muscle on their frames.

I am too , I completely agree with you guys. IMO it's gonna hurt Trout more , but that's just my opinion. I've never believed weights have any place in baseball , I say this knowing everyone here under 40 yrs old will disagree. Trout will soon start down the road to endless pulled muscles like so many others. His game is about speed and athleticism - he's gonna lose it soon I believe. He looks like a fuckin fire hydrant to begin with , if I'm him I'm losing weight not gaining it. Both of these guys are a ways away from those yrs where we all gain weight and can't stop it. What are they gonna do when they hit 30 and can't move?

 

[Loneranger]

I respect your opinion, but Van Slyke didn't even make the majors until he was 22, and Harper is going into his 4th ML season at that age...he's just way ahead of the curve that Andy was on.
I tend to see Harper's lack of development beyond his rookie performance to be more injury related than anything, but he could certainly turn out to be another Cesar Cedeno with an early 20s peak...progress in a great prospect is by no means guaranteed.
I also think that Bryce is getting so damned big that CF will not be an option before long. Both he and Trout are emphasizing adding LOTS of muscle, which I'm not sure is a great idea...Willie Mays played so great for so long with tremendous power at, what, 175 pounds??

I know where you're coming from as far as the comparison I pointed out. All I was doing was describing a guy who played the way I felt Harper would be playing - style of play , if you will. Anyway you makes valid points regarding Harper's age etc but I think he's hurt way too much for a kid his age and injuries tend to pile up. If he's this unhealthy as a kid WTF is he gonna be 8 yrs from now when he should be in his prime? Right now I'm guessing at age 22 he's already at that point where they sit him more often than a normal 22 yr old thinking his body can't handle it. These guys all believe it's about muscle and not enough time is spent on flexibility. Trout and Harper both need a heavy dose of flex training or they are gonna be hurt quite often I'm guessing.

 

[podsox]

anyone really care anymore? bring them back. these 3 and half hr games that are 2-1 are getting old. I love a good pitchers duel but when it happens nearly every night it's not the same

 

[WB1214]

Still off to a better WAR start at this age than nearly everyone in history. The main problem has been the hype around him and Trout becoming the best position player in baseball almost from the moment he took the field as a major leauger. Comparing Harper to a guy that has a chance to go down as a top 20 player EVER before Harper has REALLY gotten going is a little unfair.

Of course, if Harper was less cocky acting, people would give him a lot less of a hard time.

 

[The Derski]

anyone really care anymore? bring them back. these 3 and half hr games that are 2-1 are getting old. I love a good pitchers duel but when it happens nearly every night it's not the same

I don't think anyone could argue against the steroid era being one of the most entertaining times in all of sports. Like Daniel Tosh once said "I want to see the best athletes science can offer."

 

[ckhokie]

GOAT