Author Topic: Bryce Harper 2018 and beyond  (Read 157891 times)

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Offline dracnal

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Re: Bryce Harper 2018 and beyond
« Reply #675 on: June 11, 2018, 02:07:38 pm »
I think you're reading way too much into it.

I've talked about this before my ban on ES, but Harper is his own best friend and his own worst enemy. He lives inside his own head. So when things are going great, he's amazing. 2015 is a great example. Locked in and focused at the plate. The first half of last season was like that.

But when he scuffles, he simply can't get out of the funk like a lot of guys do. And they are truly bad funks. Then he starts to try and overcompensate by hitting big home runs.

Add to that a rather complicated swing, and he seems like the type that will always struggle with consistency.

My sense is that when he's dialed in, he swings with about 80% of his power. When he's struggling, he swings with 100%.

Offline Slateman

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Re: Bryce Harper 2018 and beyond
« Reply #676 on: June 11, 2018, 02:09:52 pm »
The question is, do we think this is his floor? Because if it is being able to pencil in a worst case scenario  OPS of .900 is pretty valuable.
Yes. This is his floor. At least for the forseeable future.

Offline Slateman

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Re: Bryce Harper 2018 and beyond
« Reply #677 on: June 11, 2018, 02:10:39 pm »
My sense is that when he's dialed in, he swings with about 80% of his power. When he's struggling, he swings with 100%.
Maybe. I dunno, I was a pitcher, not a hitter. But it just looks/feels like this is a mental issue, more than a physical one.

Offline dracnal

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Re: Bryce Harper 2018 and beyond
« Reply #678 on: June 11, 2018, 02:14:37 pm »
Maybe. I dunno, I was a pitcher, not a hitter. But it just looks/feels like this is a mental issue, more than a physical one.

Sorry - I didn't mean to disagree with you. It's definitely mental. I'm just saying that when his head is in a good place, he has a relaxed, less violent swing. The further inside his own head he gets, the harder his swing is.

Offline aspenbubba

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Re: Bryce Harper 2018 and beyond
« Reply #679 on: June 11, 2018, 03:43:55 pm »
This maybe a mindfact but I believe Harper is playing not to get hurt hoping that he does not derail his pending new contract. I do not see him running out infield hits, chasing down balls in the outfield with abandon and he is not clutch as his seven HR's, five were solo shots.
With nothing better to do I thought I would quote myself. Received some flak about this early post.We really need him to step up.

Offline Optics

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Re: Bryce Harper 2018 and beyond
« Reply #680 on: June 11, 2018, 04:16:28 pm »
I don't think he's selfish. He's just an incredibly streaky player who hasn't really had a hot streak yet, at least not one where he racks up lots of hits, to get that batting average up.

Offline Slateman

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Re: Bryce Harper 2018 and beyond
« Reply #681 on: June 12, 2018, 08:46:33 pm »
https://mlb.nbcsports.com/2018/06/12/national-league-exec-on-bryce-harper-hes-simply-overrated-hes-a-losing-player/

Quote
He’s simply overrated. The good ain’t worth the bad . . . Cares about himself more than the team. If I was in charge and had money, my team would not pursue him . . . If he gets more than 10-years, $300 million, I’d be surprised. I would not give him 10 years period and certainly not at that AAV. He’s just not worth it. He’s a selfish, losing player.”


Offline bluestreak

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Re: Bryce Harper 2018 and beyond
« Reply #683 on: June 12, 2018, 09:41:23 pm »
https://mlb.nbcsports.com/2018/06/12/national-league-exec-on-bryce-harper-hes-simply-overrated-hes-a-losing-player/

Always got to love a quote like this from someone who won’t attach their name to it. For all I know, it’s Farhan Zaidi or Theo Epstein trying to drive down the price on him.

Offline spidernat

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Re: Bryce Harper 2018 and beyond
« Reply #684 on: June 12, 2018, 09:44:04 pm »
It seems way overboard to say he's a "losing player". To me it sounds made up. Like something sportsfan would say.

Offline GburgNatsFan

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Re: Bryce Harper 2018 and beyond
« Reply #685 on: June 12, 2018, 09:45:05 pm »
https://mlb.nbcsports.com/2018/06/12/national-league-exec-on-bryce-harper-hes-simply-overrated-hes-a-losing-player/

I don't know about selfish It doesn't seem like the right adjective. He's a baseball-only personality who is only now bumping up against the limits he never thought that he had.

And I don't think he's completely healthy. Then again, I thought Murphy was done for the year, so...


Offline HalfSmokes

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Re: Bryce Harper 2018 and beyond
« Reply #687 on: June 12, 2018, 09:53:51 pm »
Always got to love a quote like this from someone who won’t attach their name to it. For all I know, it’s Farhan Zaidi or Theo Epstein trying to drive down the price on him.

Wouldn’t attaching their name constitute tampering?

Offline GburgNatsFan

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Re: Bryce Harper 2018 and beyond
« Reply #688 on: June 12, 2018, 09:57:43 pm »
Wouldn’t attaching their name constitute tampering?

Would it? It would constitute the loss of a job, for sure.

Offline HalfSmokes

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Re: Bryce Harper 2018 and beyond
« Reply #689 on: June 12, 2018, 10:00:57 pm »
Would it? It would constitute the loss of a job, for sure.

Talking about what a player under team control could get as a free agent seems like tampering.

Offline bluestreak

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Re: Bryce Harper 2018 and beyond
« Reply #690 on: June 12, 2018, 10:30:49 pm »
Talking about what a player under team control could get as a free agent seems like tampering.

Well then don’t make the quote. It’s still tampering if it’s anonymous.

Offline ToddGack

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Re: Bryce Harper 2018 and beyond
« Reply #691 on: June 12, 2018, 11:32:15 pm »
Just for my education, how would a non-selfish Bryce Harper play?

He might start by not taking himself out of the game after hitting a foul ball off his toe. This wasn't the first time I have seen Bryce Harper quit on his team.

Can you imagine Max Scherzer leaving a game because he fouled a ball off his toe?
According to Martinez, Bryce said he was fine and was walking around the locker room with no problem.

Offline dcpatti

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Re: Bryce Harper 2018 and beyond
« Reply #692 on: June 12, 2018, 11:47:55 pm »
He might start by not taking himself out of the game after hitting a foul ball off his toe. This wasn't the first time I have seen Bryce Harper quit on his team.

Can you imagine Max Scherzer leaving a game because he fouled a ball off his toe?
According to Martinez, Bryce said he was fine and was walking around the locker room with no problem.

They also said he lost the feeling in the toe and that he couldn’t put weight on it directly after the HBP. It was enough to send him for X-rays.  if you can’t feel your toe, you’re an idiot if you try to continue putting weight on it.

Offline Squab

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Re: Bryce Harper 2018 and beyond
« Reply #693 on: June 13, 2018, 12:00:11 am »
They also said he lost the feeling in the toe and that he couldn’t put weight on it directly after the HBP. It was enough to send him for X-rays.  if you can’t feel your toe, you’re an idiot if you try to continue putting weight on it.

Also the dude has tried the whole "playing hurt" thing, he gutted out an entire year totally busted and it didn't work. I'd rather he exit a game in the 8th inning after getting beaned twice once in a while then sustain an actual injury that keeps him from being 100% when it matters.


Offline PowerBoater69

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Re: Bryce Harper 2018 and beyond
« Reply #695 on: June 13, 2018, 06:09:10 am »
Well then don’t make the quote. It’s still tampering if it’s anonymous.

Definitely tampering, almost in the Nats favor if it drives the price down, although I can't imagine that anonymous quotes would have any impact on how league GMs put a value on him. More likely just getting in his head. Rizzo had the correct response to the comments, tonight let's see if Martinez has the correct response to the inside pitches. (Harper did quit awful quickly after getting hit that second time, hardly even tried to walk it off.)

Offline Baseball is Life

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Re: Bryce Harper 2018 and beyond
« Reply #696 on: June 13, 2018, 08:33:49 am »
He might start by not taking himself out of the game after hitting a foul ball off his toe. This wasn't the first time I have seen Bryce Harper quit on his team.

Can you imagine Max Scherzer leaving a game because he fouled a ball off his toe?


Max basically walked off the mound after getting a neck cramp last year.

Quit on his team? A bit over the top.

Offline bluestreak

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Re: Bryce Harper 2018 and beyond
« Reply #697 on: June 13, 2018, 08:35:41 am »
Max basically walked off the mound after getting a neck cramp last year.

Some people will literally never be satisfied unless a player dies on the field. And then the next day would blast him for no longer being available to the team.

Offline Truconfidence

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Re: Bryce Harper 2018 and beyond
« Reply #698 on: June 13, 2018, 08:45:14 am »
I think maybe just maybe this is a similar thing that happened to Murphy with Long tinkered with his swing. Murphy said it took him till the all-star break to settle in. I do notice he is much more on balance on his swing.

Offline Baseball is Life

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Re: Bryce Harper 2018 and beyond
« Reply #699 on: June 13, 2018, 09:16:33 am »
Some people will literally never be satisfied unless a player dies on the field. And then the next day would blast him for no longer being available to the team.

Exactly. One Koda Glover seems to come to mind as a guy who tried to pitch through injuries and hurt himself even more. Athletes have to be smart about taking care of their bodies. It's easy for fans to tells players to tough it out when the fans are not the ones taking the risks.