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.

Let’s hope he has his head on a little straighter than Alex Rodriguez too!

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.

Bryce Harper has been compared to great baseball players such as Alex Rodriguez and Justin Upton, who also had their talent discovered at a relatively young age. However, as mentioned before, Bryce Harper is able to compare to these player’s statistics two years beyond his age. In comparison, LeBron James was well-known to have incredible abilities, as well as a NBA-qualified game at the age of sixteen. This is the main reason why, at this point in time, many people have likened Bryce Harper more closely to the skills of LeBron James.

In the 2009, Bryce Harper participated in the High School Power Showcase at the Tropicana Field, which is the home field of the Tampa Bay Rays. Harper succeeded in hitting a home run that was measured at 502 feet, and may have flown even farther, had it not bounced off of the back wall of the stadium. This is an incredible record, since it is currently the longest home run ever recorded in the history of the Tropicana Field. This accomplishment earned him the “Ryan Howard Award”.

The year of 2008 saw a large number of accomplishments for Bryce Harper. He was able to attain the title “Batting Average Leader for the State of Nevada”, with a batting average of .590. He achieved 11 home runs, along with 67 RBI’s (Runs Batted In) in a total of 38 games for the Las Vegas High School. In addition to this, Bryce Harper was designated the 1st Team All-State Catcher of 2008 and the 1st Team All Sunrise Division Catcher of 2008. Also in 2008, Bryce Harper pitched for Team USA in the Pan American Games. He was able to record a save against Cuba while in Veracruz, Mexico. As a result, he was recognized as the “Tournament MVP”.

In the year 2007, Bryce Harper was recognized as part of the TBS 14u (fourteen and under) All American Team. He was also able to achieve the TBS 14u “Player of the Year”. This was following his 2006 TBS 13u All American Team recognition, along with his 2005 TBS 12u All American Team recognition. Also in 2005, Harper was recognized as being a part of the NYB All American Team.

Bryce Harper is still in his teenage years, and has already proven that he can achieve great things. The world will undoubtedly be watching young Harper, and his prospective journey into the career of his choice. At this time, it seems likely that Bryce Harper will play for a MLB team, further advancing his skills and public appeal. Despite still being young, Bryce Harper may just be the next great name in baseball.

At the age of sixteen, Bryce Harper hit a 502 foot home run in the International Power Showcase Home Run Derby. This exciting event occurred at the Tropicana Field, which is also home to the Tampa Bay Rays. This amazing hit traveled over the big screen on the field, and may have even flown farther if it had not bounced off of the outside wall. To-date, it is the longest home run hit that has ever occurred at the Tropicana Field. It is not the longest home run ever hit in the event, as a few other participants from previous years have also broken the 500 foot mark. However, given that the Tropicana Field has been open since the 1990′s, Harper’s achievement is extremely impressive. For his historic (and new world record) home run of 502 feet, Harper was presented with the “Ruth Award”, given by Babe Ruth’s granddaughter. This is the ward that is given out on a yearly basis, to the player that hits the longest home run at the International Power Showcase. Babe Ruth’s longest home run was 624 feet.

The International Power Showcase High School Home Run Derby was first started by Brian Domenico in 2004. This event seeks to celebrate high school baseball players who possess amazing proficiency. In addition to this, the goals of the International Power Showcase involve gaining recognition for talented high school baseball players from around the world. Given Bryce Harper’s unarguably amazing skills in the sport of baseball, expectations for his performance at the event were extremely high. However, even so, Harper was able to exceed expectations, paving the way for a future career in the Major Leagues.

Bryce Harper, now seventeen, is quickly gaining recognition among both baseball fans and major league scouts. His amazing prowess is obvious not only in his hitting skills (which currently stand at a .626 batting average for the spring 2009 season), but in his skills on the field as well. Harper plays the position of catcher, and is also able to play field positions such as shortstop. Currently, Bryce Harper’s batting average stands at .626 for the spring 2009 season. This is up sharply from his 2008 batting average, which was .590 . However, it is important to keep in mind that Bryce Harper is still only seventeen. The future undoubtedly holds many more achievements, as well as rewarding opportunities for this young baseball prodigy.

The possible achievements don’t stop there; Bryce Harper is already setting records in his home run hitting. On record, he hit an amazing 502 foot home run during the 2009 International Power Showcase at the Tropicana field. He also hit an “unofficial” (not officially recorded) 570 foot home run, which was covered by Sports Illustrated. Harper is becoming quite popular with middle and high-school students, even gaining support from some parents of young baseball players. This support is despite Harper’s decision to drop out of high school two years early, in order to train for the 2010 baseball season. As per with Major League rules, however, he will be finishing his GED before the draft, probably during the summer of 2009.

Harper began playing baseball at the age of three. By the age of eight, Harper was getting offers from Little League teams all over the country willing to pay for airfare and hotels, if only he would play for them. Early on, it was obvious to all who knew Bryce, that he was destined to achieve great things. Harper’s natural skill with the sport of baseball is undoubtedly incredible, and could be called a “once in a generation” genetic lottery.

In addition to being a role model based on skills alone, Bryce Harper also possesses a determination and dedication to the sport of baseball that should be admired even by veteran players. Some coaches have called Harper’s dedication very “old-school”, in that his main objective is to play well, and do his best to win. Even Bryce Harper’s parents deny any excessive pushing of baseball on Bryce at a young age. Ron Harper, Bryce’s father, is adamant about this.

“We have to do what’s best for Bryce. He wants to play baseball. Always has. The Number 1 thing guiding us is to do what’s right for Bryce and his future.”

It could be said that a lot of Bryce Harper’s admirable characteristics come from his supportive family. Every good sports player needs a support system, and Bryce’s family seems to be behind all of his decisions 100%. In addition to baseball, Bryce Harper is able to snowboard, play football, and pursue any other interests that he desires. Despite choosing to discontinue football in a previous year, Bryce Harper still is a “normal” kid, as stated by his parents. With his amazing proficiency at baseball, inspirational achievements and determined attitude, it’s clear that Bryce Harper has the potential to be a strong role model for other young baseball players.