Bryce Harper’s Future

Bryce Harper, at the age of seventeen, is already being considered to have incredible potential as a Major League Baseball player. Some people have even speculated that Bryce has the dedication necessary to be in the top of the selection for the baseball draft. Though some people have said that Bryce Harper has the ability to reach the top five picks for the draft, a National League amateur scouting direction disagrees, in a 2009 interview with Sports Illustrated.

“Top two,” he says. “And that’s taking nothing away from the guys in the draft this year. He’s honestly that good. He is a once-in-a-generation talent.”

Many people undoubtedly have high hopes for Bryce Harper, given that his talent is clearly recognizable at such a young age. Some people speculate that he will assuredly be immediately drafted to a MLB team, while other people are less than optimistic. In reality, some people have gone as far as to suggest that the early publicity surrounding Bryce Harper’s talent actually has quite a negative impact on his future. While it is true that being in the public eye presents a significant amount of pressure for Harper, his attitude in his public interviews clearly displays his determination. Given that Bryce Harper has been playing since the age of three, it’s clear that his dedication to the sport of baseball hasn’t even faltered. This is very clear in a recent interview of Bryce Harper by the Boston Globe:

“I know I’m going to make it there,” Bryce Harper insists. “If I get hurt, I’ll DH. If my swing goes down, I can pitch.”

It’s obvious that Harper has the motivation necessary to make it to the top, but that depends a lot on his personal decisions. Currently, Harper is looking at attending several different colleges, all with incredible baseball programs. These colleges include schools in Miami, Alabama and Texas.

Bryce Harper’s skills are advancing at such an accelerated rate, that he may be getting bored with high-school pitchers who would rather walk him than give him a chance to hit another out-of-the-park home run. Because of this, Bryce’s parents are attempting to make him eligible for the MLB draft in 2010, rather than in 2011. This could be accomplished by taking Bryce out of the country to become a “free agent”, but his parents have a different plan. The Harpers will most likely have Bryce earn his GED during the summer month, which will make him eligible to attend a junior college in the fall. This will mean that he is eligible for the baseball draft that will occur in June 2010. Many people have speculated that Bryce Harper, if eligible for the 2010 draft, will likely be the first pick in the country.

When asked about how soon he hopes to play in the Major League, Bryce Harper is optimistic. He is hoping to play at the young age of 18 or 19, the “fast track”, as he calls it. He may be able to realize this dream, as more and more people are recognizing his unsurpassed talent.