The Washington Nationals officially signed high school player, turned college, now turned pro, Bryce Harper.  This happened at the age of 17.  At the last possible second on Monday, August 16th, near midnight, Scott Boras, Harper’s agent, and the team, agreed to sign Harper for 9.9 million dollars. This is a rookie record for any position player besides a pitcher.   His future player partner, pitcher-rookie sensation, Strasburg, holds the current record for a signed rookie.

Bryce Harper’s contract includes 6.5 million in signing bonuses.  The rest is in his yearly pay.  We hope that he exceeds this contract in the next couple of years, and lives up to the hype. His next contract could be a record setting deal if this happens. Let’s not jump the gun.

Bryce Harper Contract

You can read more about Bryce Harper Stats here.

What is next for Bryce Harper?

Only the Nationals know.  It is more than likely he will go their instructional league for the remaining of the season. He should be joining the team for spring training next baseball season.  We have to remember he only has junior college experience and he is 17!

With great coaching, he could be ready to be in his new position of outfield, probably right field.  He has a canon of an arm so base runners need to be careful trying to turn a single into a double.

The Nationals have the two top future players in Harper and Strasburg.   They should be a team to be reckoned with in years to come.  It should exciting to watch them grow from worst to first, all thanks to the big pick up of Bryce Harper.

We wish Bryce Harper the best of luck for the years to come and hopefully in a Nationals uniform next baseball season.  He could change a team around like Joe Mauer has done with the Twins.

Congrats Bryce Harper on your memorable day!

The Washington Nationals have selected Bryce Harper as the number 1 draft pick of the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft. Talk about the beginning of a story book career.   At the age of seventeen, when he should be ending a junior in high school, he is the number draft pick in the MLB draft.  That is hard work and dedication.  Bryce Harper is both of those.  Or better yet, he is just given to us from the heavens.  He is a freak of nature!

Just look at Bryce Harper’s junior college baseball stats.  These are crazy numbers with a wooden bat.  He lead all of college with 29 home runs.  His division I  counterparts were using aluminum bats.  This kid is good, real good.

The questions are rising on how much this kid will get paid in the majors.  What about his signing bonus?  Could it be twenty million?  Or even more?  The other questions are about his future career.  How soon is going to go pro?  This would depend on how he develops in the Nationals minor league system.  The scouts have a feeling he is going to move up very fast.

The Washington Nationals are very lucky to have been able to choose this years number one draft pick.  They even got last years number one draft pick, Stephen Strasburg, he said to be the next big thing in pitching that has come around in a long time.    Will the National’s improve from the picking Bryce Harper?  Only time will tell.  It seems to us he will be playing outfield instead of catcher since he was announced as an outfielder.

The best of luck Bryce Harper.  You have earned this chance. We look forward to writing about you in the years to come and you becoming idolized by many of the world’s youth.

The whole junior college team is filled with sophomore players and one should be junior in high school; that of course

Bryce Harper Baseball Player

being Bryce. One of the players playing with Bryce Harper is his brother Bryan. He transferred from Cal State Northridge just to play with his younger brother.

In Bryce’s first junior college game he batted the 3rd spot. Just imagine being 17 and batting the 3rd spot in college, a sold out crowed of over 2,000 fans at Morse Stadium in Henderson and over 100 professional baseball scouts watching your every move. This is what Bryce will have to deal with every baseball game.

Even though this is Bryce’s first official college game, he played fall ball with his teammates. During the 10 games of fall ball, he batted .375 with four homeruns. You have to remember this is a 17 year old playing with kids 19 and 20 who should be faster and stronger.

With his success in high school and hopefully in college, Bryce should be the number 1 draft pick in the 2010 MLB draft. In the first week of June, it is projected that the Washington Nationals will be drafting Bryce Harper with the first pick. Bryce Harper could be only 17 and the number one draft pick! What an accomplishment if this does happen.

With his future in front of him and him being so young, Bryce is lucky enough to have a coach that keeps him levelheaded. Tim Chambers has helped Bryce keep his mind on the game and baseball ready. The Coyote’s coach has declined interviews for Bryce, as well as helped him grow in the game of baseball. With him being so young, Bryce needs this.

With his support system and a successful start in junior college baseball, Bryce Harper is well on his way to being baseball’s chosen one. I am guessing Bryce will like to get more out of baseball than success. I am betting he wouldn’t mind helping the Coyotes win a junior college national championship and then help the Nationals win their first World Series. At least he would help them not finish in last place.

In all of his interviews, Bryce Harper doesn’t sound much different from a normal sixteen year old kid. However, there are a few key differences. Normal kids don’t have to constantly finish their homework on a plane, in the car, or late at night before important games. Normal kids aren’t usually compensated for travel, hotel and food just so a team can have them play in a game. Most normal kids aren’t able to hit a 570 foot home run without breaking a sweat. Despite appearing to be a normal sixteen year old kid, Bryce Harper has many key differences that contribute to making him extraordinary.

It’s been relatively clear from everyone close to the Harper family, that Bryce had a special talent. Over the years, Bryce Harper has constantly exceeded everyone’s expectations in his baseball performance. Every game, Bryce has to deal with people’s suspicions, allegations, and mistrust of his abilities. Aside from the people who accuse him of lying about his age, some people question if he has ever used any performance-enhancing substances to increase his skill and performance. However, good-natured Bryce is able to take this all in stride. In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Bryce Harper elaborated on how he deals with these situations.

“I love the way people talk crap,” Harper says. “I hear it all the time. Overrated. You suck. I’ll just do something to shut them up, like, I’ll show you. It’s like in regular pregame work. I like to show off my arm. Just so it’s like, There you go. Don’t even think about trying to run.”

It’s common knowledge that many difficulties await Bryce Harper, as he attempts to fulfill his dream of playing for Major League Baseball. Many child prodigies experience more hardships at a younger age then they would have as adults. Though Bryce Harper will undoubtedly also face many challenges, his determination and perseverance will greatly aid in his chances of success.

Bryce turned seven a few years later, and still continued to play with boys three years his senior. Since the other boys on his team were around age ten, some speculation began by opposing teams that Bryce was lying about his age. “There have been suspicions since I was 8 years old,” Harper said in an interview with The Boston Globe. “I’ve had to carry my birth certificate around with me.” During this time, people began to take notice of Bryce Harper, and not only because he was hitting 200 foot home runs on a regular basis. Even at this young age, his determination and goal-oriented attitude earned him a lot of respect from his teammates.

At the age of nine years old, the Harper family began to get calls from traveling baseball teams, offering to cover all travel and lodging expenses if Bryce would come play for their team. Baseball teams from Colorado, to California, to Oklahoma were taking an interest in Bryce. Bryce Harper always complied, often flying with one or both of his parents to play in baseball games across the country. However, even when his parents were unable to accompany him due to work-related reasons, Bryce Harper would go alone.

Some might argue that Bryce Harper was “robbed” of his childhood, and prevented from experiencing all that being a young boy has to offer. However, when confronted with this opinion, Bryce Harper disagrees. This is an excerpt from Bryce Harper’s interview with “Sports Illustrated”.

“People say, ‘Weren’t you deprived of your childhood?’” Bryce says. “No way. I would not take anything back at all. Everything about it was great. I got to go places, meet people, play baseball against older kids and better competition. I had a great time.”

Bryce Harper’s parents have done everything in their power to make sure that Bryce has access to any opportunity that he desires. In comparison to some other child prodigies, the Harper family did not have to push him into becoming an exemplary baseball player – it was simply something he could accomplish naturally, on his own. Some people have even given him a well-deserved nickname – “The Natural”. It could be argued that Bryce had a natural interest in childhood opportunities that increased his skill in Baseball – or that he has won the genetic lottery, and was truly meant to be an exemplary baseball player.