The Bryce Harper Watch

[imref]

Zimmerman is arguably the best 3b in the national league ... He stays.

Zimm did play SS in high school.  I don't see how you at least toy with the idea of moving him there if you can put Harper at 3rd.

[NatsDad14]

Harper went 0-8 with a walk and run during a doubleheader yesterday.

[cmdterps44]

Harper at third and Zimmerman at short going into 2012 would be a massive upgrade over what we have now.

That's why we have time and prospects to develop. Desmond? Espinosa?

Why move Zimmerman just because Harper can't play his original position? Put him in the outfield if he can't play catcher.

[houston-nat]

Zimm did play SS in high school.  I don't see how you at least toy with the idea of moving him there if you can put Harper at 3rd.

But Zimm is at 3B because his defense there is so great. If Harper were the #1 best hitter of all time but merely an average 3B, you'd put him at another position.

[Lintyfresh85]

Harper went 0-8 with a walk and run during a doubleheader yesterday.

He's undraftable now.

[Kevrock]

Tons of pressure on the kid.

[houston-nat]

Per MLBTR, the Pirates consider Harper the 10th best player on the draft board. Kind of ridiculous given that the college season hasn't even begun and Harper has only played 3 games.

[NatsDad14]

Per MLBTR, the Pirates consider Harper the 10th best player on the draft board. Kind of ridiculous given that the college season hasn't even begun and Harper has only played 3 games.

That's not true. The Pirates don't think he is 10th.

[houston-nat]

That's not true. The Pirates don't think he is 10th.

Um.

• General manager Neal Huntington made a striking pronouncement on the 2010 draft yesterday by telling the PirateFest crowd that Bryce Harper, the Las Vegas catcher dubbed "Baseball's LeBron" by Sports Illustrated last June, is not currently among the Pirates' top 10. They pick second. "He's getting a lot of hype," Huntington said. "We will scout Bryce Harper. But we're not going to select him because somebody thinks he's the best prospect in the history of the game and we think he's the 10th-best."

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10031/1032367-63.stm?cmpid=pirates.xml#ixzz0eDuKi3e6

[NatsDad14]

Um.

• General manager Neal Huntington made a striking pronouncement on the 2010 draft yesterday by telling the PirateFest crowd that Bryce Harper, the Las Vegas catcher dubbed "Baseball's LeBron" by Sports Illustrated last June, is not currently among the Pirates' top 10. They pick second. "He's getting a lot of hype," Huntington said. "We will scout Bryce Harper. But we're not going to select him because somebody thinks he's the best prospect in the history of the game and we think he's the 10th-best."

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10031/1032367-63.stm?cmpid=pirates.xml#ixzz0eDuKi3e6

He didn't say he was their 10th best on the board. He just said that IF he was the 10th best on the board, they wouldn't draft him at 2nd. He was just throwing out a hypothetical.

[houston-nat]

Yeah, but he did sound pretty darn skeptical. It's at least clear he is not at the top of their board.

[sportsfan882]

I agree with that sentiment. Harper is far from a sure fire #1 pick.

[PANatsFan]

The sentence before the quote could be speculation, or it could be paraphrased. He could also be bluffing to bring down Harper's value. Who knows?

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Watch how far up the Bucs top 10 he moves if the Nats don't take him.

[blue911]

The sentence before the quote could be speculation, or it could be paraphrased. He could also be bluffing to bring down Harper's value. Who knows?

Could be he meant in base 2.

[tomterp]

Yeah, but he did sound pretty darn skeptical. It's at least clear he is not at the top of their board.

It's hardly in their interest to pump him up if they are thinking about picking him anyway.  Or if they don't pick him, again it's better to try to make they guy they take seem better.  Could be the Pirates don't want to ante up $15 signing bonus, right? 

In other words, what they say to the public may have everything to do with posturing and politics and leverage but nothing to do with actual scouting evaluations of the kid and his peers.

[sportsfan882]

@CSNCoyotes: BREAKING NEWS: Bryce Harper just went yard -- a solo HR to right -- to give CSN a 5-0 lead over AZ Western, bot 5th.

[JMW IV]

Per MLBTR, the Pirates consider Harper the 10th best player on the draft board. Kind of ridiculous given that the college season hasn't even begun and Harper has only played 3 games.

the pirates rank their players by affordability.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Yah, but how far?

[imref]

well that seals his spot at #1. :-)

[imref]

He didn't say he was their 10th best on the board. He just said that IF he was the 10th best on the board, they wouldn't draft him at 2nd. He was just throwing out a hypothetical.

Keep in mind, this is the Pirates we're talking about.  

[imref]

From Nats Enquirer:

With the Nationals' Bob Boone, Roy Clark, Kris Kline, and Jeff Zona in attendance and most likely heeding a gag order from GM Mike Rizzo, Bryce Harper made his College of Southern Nevada debut last night, going 1-3 with 2 RBI, a sac fly, a walk, a stolen base, and a throwing error -- reports Todd Dewey of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Dewey described a circus-like atmosphere at last night's game (via LVRJ):

    Coyotes coach Tim Chambers said 40 scouts attended Thursday's practice at CSN and estimated about 100 were at the game...

    ...witnessed by the largest crowd in the program's 11-year history, about 1,300.

[PatsNats28]

Prediction: We don't draft him, and he doesn't sign with whoever drafts him.

I'm prepared to be wrong on the latter though.

[imref]

2010 Nats draft preview: http://www.federalbaseball.com/2010/2/4/1295961/washington-nationals-2010-prospect

[houston-nat]

2010 Nats draft preview: http://www.federalbaseball.com/2010/2/4/1295961/washington-nationals-2010-prospect

Jameson Taillon has committed to Rice University ... as a Rice student, I hope he comes here (even if the Nationals draft him!).