Author Topic: The Bryce Harper Watch  (Read 186676 times)

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Online imref

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Re: The Bryce Harper Watch
« Reply #125: March 21, 2010, 11:25:47 PM »
Harper's 2nd double saturday:



Not sure what the story is with the black all over his face.

BTW, that thing where he turns his right leg back toward the catcher then steps forward is kind of interesting.  I found one scout's take:

Quote
What makes Harper’s batting stance so effective is the unique jerk he does his with leg right before crushing a ball. He uses his leg flicking motion as a spring for gaining extra power when he makes contact. His sometimes violent leg jerk does cause some scouts to worry about potential ankle injuries.—

Offline blue911

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Re: The Bryce Harper Watch
« Reply #126: March 22, 2010, 06:52:44 AM »
Harper's 2nd double saturday:



Not sure what the story is with the black all over his face.

BTW, that thing where he turns his right leg back toward the catcher then steps forward is kind of interesting.  I found one scout's take:


Maybe he's a John Randle fan




Offline houston-nat

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Re: The Bryce Harper Watch
« Reply #127: March 22, 2010, 09:33:20 AM »
Harper's 2nd double saturday:



Not sure what the story is with the black all over his face.

BTW, that thing where he turns his right leg back toward the catcher then steps forward is kind of interesting.  I found one scout's take:



Two thoughts:
1. The leg jerk thing means he knows almost instantly from the time the pitcher throws, that he's going to take a swing at the ball.
2. His MLB coaches are REALLY gonna have to get the kid to stop wasting so much time touching the plate with his bat, grabbing dirt, etc.

Offline Kevrock

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Re: The Bryce Harper Watch
« Reply #128: March 22, 2010, 09:37:50 AM »
1. The leg jerk thing means he knows almost instantly from the time the pitcher throws, that he's going to take a swing at the ball.

It's just his trigger. He does it when he takes a pitch as well.

That eyeblack thing is annoying, but I've seen kids his age do it before.

The kid sure seems cocky in these latest Youtube videos.

Offline tomterp

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Re: The Bryce Harper Watch
« Reply #129: March 22, 2010, 09:40:21 AM »

The kid sure seems cocky in these latest Youtube videos.

Hard not to be when he's completely dominating the competition several levels ahead of where he ought to be at any given point in his development.

Offline Kevrock

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Re: The Bryce Harper Watch
« Reply #130: March 22, 2010, 09:49:10 AM »
Hard not to be when he's completely dominating the competition several levels ahead of where he ought to be at any given point in his development.

True. However, his coach shouldn't let him show up umpires, make gestures at the crowd, flip his bat, etc. You can show a little swagger without disrespecting the game and those around you.

Offline Lintyfresh85

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Re: The Bryce Harper Watch
« Reply #131: March 22, 2010, 10:35:30 AM »
2. His MLB coaches are REALLY gonna have to get the kid to stop wasting so much time touching the plate with his bat, grabbing dirt, etc.

If no one stopped Nomar, I don't think they'll try and stop Bryce.

Offline tripan1035

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Re: The Bryce Harper Watch
« Reply #132: March 22, 2010, 03:59:43 PM »
True. However, his coach shouldn't let him show up umpires, make gestures at the crowd, flip his bat, etc. You can show a little swagger without disrespecting the game and those around you.

Absolutely agree!  You'd think the coach or at least his "advisors" would tell him to cut the hot dog, prima donna stuff.  (actually, shouldn't his old man step in and say 'knock it off, this isn't good.")  And the face paint has got to go.  Just shows this kid has a long way to go.  If you think you can play with the big boys, start acting like it. Otherwise, he may be seeing a few games from the seat of his pants after some chin music.  Imagine what Gibson, Drysdale, or Ryan would've done to someone showing them up flipping a bat or wearing facepaint?  Next place you would've read about that player would be in the obits.

Never too early to start cultivating a positive image.  It's working pretty well for Joe Mauer.

Offline Lintyfresh85

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Re: The Bryce Harper Watch
« Reply #133: March 22, 2010, 09:43:33 PM »
Absolutely agree!  You'd think the coach or at least his "advisors" would tell him to cut the hot dog, prima donna stuff.  (actually, shouldn't his old man step in and say 'knock it off, this isn't good.")  And the face paint has got to go.  Just shows this kid has a long way to go.  If you think you can play with the big boys, start acting like it. Otherwise, he may be seeing a few games from the seat of his pants after some chin music.  Imagine what Gibson, Drysdale, or Ryan would've done to someone showing them up flipping a bat or wearing facepaint?  Next place you would've read about that player would be in the obits.

Never too early to start cultivating a positive image.  It's working pretty well for Joe Mauer.

'Face paint' or really long eye black is common in college baseball. I'm guessing a lot of you don't watch it.

They're kids... they grow out of it.

Offline JCA-CrystalCity

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Re: The Bryce Harper Watch
« Reply #134: March 23, 2010, 10:11:00 AM »
'Face paint' or really long eye black is common in college baseball. I'm guessing a lot of you don't watch it.

They're kids... they grow out of it.

Obviously it is the influence of the Ultimate Warrior on America's youth. 

Offline Lintyfresh85

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Re: The Bryce Harper Watch
« Reply #135: March 23, 2010, 11:56:20 AM »
Obviously it is the influence of the Ultimate Warrior on America's youth. 

Obviously. Now only if those kids could also pick up his promo skills... then we'd really be onto something!

Offline Lintyfresh85

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Re: The Bryce Harper Watch
« Reply #136: March 23, 2010, 11:59:17 AM »
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100322&content_id=8867302&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

MLB.com article on Harper.

I know the kid is going to be a talent... and I don't have as much of a problem with his 'antics' as some... but these two paragraphs kind of soured me on him.

Quote
It's not just scouts who have been keying in on Harper, who's caught and played third and the outfield for CSN so far this spring. It's become a common occurrence for opponents to try to get under the phenom's skin. Some have mocked him by applying eye-black in the same fashion Harper does. There's been plenty of trash talking and threats of brushback pitches.

For the most part, Harper has dealt with it relatively maturely. But a scan of YouTube -- where a fan can find just about every at-bat he's had -- will turn up an instance when he reacted. After homering against Western Nevada, Harper can be seen saluting toward the visiting dugout as he rounds third. That eventually led to an ejection in the next inning for what was termed "unsportsmanlike conduct."

You can't react to the heckling. Its just not worth it.

Offline blue911

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Re: The Bryce Harper Watch
« Reply #137: March 23, 2010, 12:18:20 PM »
Quote
After homering against Western Nevada, Harper can be seen...

But you have to like this part.

Offline GMUTrkstar

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Re: The Bryce Harper Watch
« Reply #138: March 23, 2010, 12:28:38 PM »
Heres the clip for those who haven't seen it:


Dude's definitely cocky but you also gotta remember he's supposed to be a junior in HS think of all the silly things you did at that age...Then also think about investing 10+ million(I think it'll take atleast 12 million to sign him) in a junior in HS. Hope he has a good head on his shoulders.

Offline Kevrock

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Re: The Bryce Harper Watch
« Reply #139: March 23, 2010, 01:23:09 PM »
Quote
Some have mocked him by applying eye-black in the same fashion Harper does.

Really? Because, as someone already pointed out in this thread, Harper did not invent this. It reminds me of Brandon Carter kind of (football player from Texas Tech).

Offline DPMOmaha

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Re: The Bryce Harper Watch
« Reply #140: March 23, 2010, 01:30:02 PM »
I know the kid is going to be a talent... and I don't have as much of a problem with his 'antics' as some... but these two paragraphs kind of soured me on him.

You can't react to the heckling. Its just not worth it.
He's 17 years old.  He'll learn how to handle it. 

Offline Zoidberg

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Re: The Bryce Harper Watch
« Reply #141: March 23, 2010, 02:09:01 PM »
Haha baseballs ridiculous. You're not allowed to have even a little bit of swagger. I remember when Dukes hit his walkoff last season and did the chest pump to the crowd and people were all upset. C'mon let the players be flamboyant and create rivals instead of acting like robots just doing a job and getting a paycheck.

Offline JCA-CrystalCity

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Re: The Bryce Harper Watch
« Reply #142: March 23, 2010, 02:39:25 PM »
Haha baseballs ridiculous. You're not allowed to have even a little bit of swagger. I remember when Dukes hit his walkoff last season and did the chest pump to the crowd and people were all upset. C'mon let the players be flamboyant and create rivals instead of acting like robots just doing a job and getting a paycheck.

Zoidberg, you of all people should be able to relate to robots.

/s/ Bender

Offline JMW IV

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Re: The Bryce Harper Watch
« Reply #143: March 23, 2010, 03:26:20 PM »
Haha baseballs ridiculous. You're not allowed to have even a little bit of swagger. I remember when Dukes hit his walkoff last season and did the chest pump to the crowd and people were all upset. C'mon let the players be flamboyant and create rivals instead of acting like robots just doing a job and getting a paycheck.

agreed. to an extent.

Offline KnorrForYourMoney

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Re: The Bryce Harper Watch
« Reply #144: March 23, 2010, 03:31:50 PM »
agreed. to an extent.
Same here, but it's frustrating to see a kid who's proven nothing against pro baseball players already acting like he's the hot crap.

Offline DPMOmaha

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Re: The Bryce Harper Watch
« Reply #145: March 23, 2010, 03:53:56 PM »
Same here, but it's frustrating to see a kid who's proven nothing against pro baseball players already acting like he's the hot crap.
Sure, if he were taunting pro players.  He's not.  He's proven his metal at that level.  From everything I've seen and heard, this is the exception rather than the rule.  More of a 17 year old kid who let his emotions get the best of him a bit than a pompus prick, at least at this point.

Offline The Chief

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Re: The Bryce Harper Watch
« Reply #146: March 23, 2010, 03:54:56 PM »
Considering the other team and the other team's families and fans were riding him the entire time, I see nothing terrible about this.

Offline JMUalumni

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Re: The Bryce Harper Watch
« Reply #147: March 24, 2010, 04:43:17 PM »
Pretty cool video of Harper throwing out a runner from his knees... in slow-mo.


Online imref

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Re: The Bryce Harper Watch
« Reply #148: March 25, 2010, 04:50:39 PM »
Obviously it is the influence of the Ultimate Warrior on America's youth. 

Awesome.

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Re: The Bryce Harper Watch
« Reply #149: March 27, 2010, 02:35:25 PM »
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100325&content_id=8943270&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

Quote
Sky's the limit for teenager Harper
Hard to find flaws in Southern Nevada freshman's game


By Jonathan Mayo / MLB.com

03/26/10 10:00 AM ET

Chances are, you've seen him in action somewhere, on YouTube, here on MLB.com. Every at-bat, virtually every movement on the baseball field has been recorded and evaluated, both by legitimate scouts and by fans who fancy themselves as scouts.

And if you haven't seen him play, undoubtedly you've heard of the legend of Bryce Harper. At times, it may seem like it's reached Paul Bunyan fable status. Would it surprise anyone if there were reports that the 17-year-old phenom swung tree trunks instead of bats, that he could run faster than a speeding bullet, leap over buildings, etc.?

Some of the hype, truth be told, is legitimate. Some of it, not surprisingly, has been blown out of proportion. So let's play part myth-buster, part truth-finder with the most hyped Draft prospect since, well, at least since Stephen Strasburg.

Just who is Bryce Harper? Before breaking that down, though, it's worth taking a second to find out what people around Harper all the time think about him.

"It's pretty funny. One of my coaches... we were sitting out there during intrasquads and he said, 'You know, you were a test tube baby,'" Harper joked. "I said, 'What do you mean?' He said, 'You have everybody in you. You have Jackie Robinson, you have Mickey Mantle, you have Joe Mauer. You have everybody. Your parents just haven't told you yet.' We were just joking around. I have all of those guys in me, I guess. I don't know. I'm Bryce Harper."

Who do scouts really think Bryce Harper is? MLB.com talked at length with a scout who's seen the College of Southern Nevada freshman repeatedly and knows his game in and out.

At the plate

Hitting ability: There's no question that his bat is the thing that excites scouts the most. He's got great hands and a good bat path. Early in the season, he did have some trouble when he was having a mechanical issue at the plate. Coach Tim Chambers described it as him sitting down too much, which would force him to lunge a little bit and get out in front with his core.

That, in turn, meant he was forced to use his arms and shoulders too much in his swing. When he was doing that, hard inside stuff could cause him some trouble. While he was fighting it at times and had to be reminded not to sit back, he had largely corrected it after the first couple of weeks of the season.

"I really don't fight myself a lot," said Harper, who's hitting .420/.514/.864 over 27 games. "You just want to be the guy, and you want to do it every time. I had a little mechanical issue, I guess, but everything's going good now, so I'm not going to change it."

Nor should he, really. Even when he was having the mechanical issue, his ability to use all fields was uncanny.

"Pitches, middle away, he's about as good as I've ever seen. At age 17, to hit the ball to straight away center or to the opposite field like that, with wood, is freaky."

Power: This is where scouts' eyes light up the most. Typically, it's a scout's job to be negative, almost cynical. A guy like Harper gets seen so many times, his slightest weakness will invariably get picked apart. But when it comes to his power, both raw and present, there's really no negative to find. Of his 37 hits, 22 have been for extra bases. On the scouting scale, 80 is the highest grade a player can get in any one tool. Normally, it's about as easy as a figure skater getting a perfect 10 on the old scoring scale.

"He has 80 power at age 17," the scout said. "Guys don't hit the ball out the other way with wood like that. Not even big leaguers. And he does it pretty easy. It's 80 present, 90 in the future. It's off the charts. "I've never seen anything like it. It's hand strength and hand speed more than bat speed."

Running speed/base running: He's a catcher, so the thinking is he's not a runner. To an extent, that's true in that he's not an above-average runner. But considering his size, he moves pretty well.

What he does have, he uses extremely well, so the tool actually plays up. He's very aggressive on the bases, running everything out hard. He'll even steal some bases (He's gone 6-for-8 this season). So while no one will be drafting Harper because of his wheels, his base-running acumen is actually a plus.

Fielding: This is where things start to get a little more varied and interesting. While nearly everyone feels Harper will hit, and hit a lot, at the next level, there isn't a consensus about whether he'll be able to stay behind the plate defensively. His bat will play anywhere, but obviously his value is at its greatest if he can catch.

There are tools there, starting with plus arm strength. He's got a gun, one that used to throw in the 90s when he was on the mound and would work from third or right field, his other possible defensive homes. The problem is that he's got a long arm motion. It seems even longer because he has the tendency to jump to throw, then takes a very long stride. Some see this as something that will keep him from staying there, others see it as correctable, especially given his athleticism.

As for the other aspects of that part of the game, he's flexible in his lower half and doesn't seem as big as he is behind the plate. He gets really low with a good, wide base. That can sometimes limit a catcher's range, but Harper is very agile behind the plate with excellent lateral movement.

One other flaw he has is a tendency to reach out or lunge for the ball, instead of letting it come to him. Again, that's something some scouts feel he can correct.

"He has the potential to be an above-average catcher," the scout said. "He's raw in terms of technique and fundamentals."

If, though, catching doesn't work out for him, or if a team wants to save his legs and move him, he has the goods to play elsewhere. He isn't as good at third as he is behind the plate, according to some, but keep in mind he hasn't been able to focus at any one position since he's moved around a bunch for CSN.

"I think he could play anywhere except shortstop," the scout said. "He's not great in center field, but if you needed him to, he's not going to hurt you. He could be an above-average right fielder. He's fluid and moves well."

Makeup: The big "M." This, in many ways, might be the most surprising thing about Harper. He's certainly not short on self-confidence, bordering on cockiness. A guy that sure of himself, with that much attention and hype, it would be a logical leap that he's the type who just shows up and lets his natural ability do the work.

It would be an incorrect leap to make. Harper seems to know only one speed and you're not likely to see him not run a ball out or not give maximum effort. And while he has moments -- he did get thrown out of a game the week before last -- he's really handled everything that's been thrown at him fairly well.

"You can't take an at-bat and just jog it out," Harper said. "You have to play it like Pete Rose would, run every ball out, run every ball hard. Hit a popup to the pitcher, make it to second before he catches it. It's all those little things that make you a better player."

"It gets lost in the hype; the guy is a pretty good baseball player," the scout said. "He's not intent to let his bat speak for himself. He's going to get dirty. For a super rockstar, that says a lot.

"There's some hunger there. He wants to be involved. That pushes him to learn and to want to learn the game and the aspects of every position. For a guy who bounces around, he really does a good job. He's a good student. He's not a guy who's content. He wants to be challenged mentally and physically."