2010 MLB Season Discussion

[Cephius]

Seems like the NL is dominating the pitching and AL has the better offensive numbers so far.

There's a shocker lol

[Foras]

This kid will be dropping bombs in the majors next year. bbl buying a Nationals Jersey.

Spoiler: show

The Washington Nationals have the best young prospect in the history of baseball. That's not a stretch. Baseball is a game of numbers, and the numbers don't lie. He's the best young prospect in baseball history.

His name is Stephen Strasburg.

OK, that's a lie.

Because his name is Bryce Harper.

Nothing against Strasburg, of course. He's sensational. He was ridiculous in college, he was incredible in the minor leagues, and he was historic in his major-league debut Tuesday night. Seven innings, 14 strikeouts? Good Lord. This kid is Kerry Wood plus a few miles per hour, and minus Dusty Baker. Strasburg is easily the best young pitching prospect in years, probably in decades, and maybe ever. He throws 102 mph, people. The radar gun doesn't lie either.

But he's not Bryce Harper. There has never been anyone like Bryce Harper. I cringed when Sports Illustrated made this comparison last year, but Harper really is baseball's version of LeBron James. He's a man among boys -- even though he's a boy among men.

This year Harper played at a junior college in Nevada at age 17. He was supposed to be a high school junior, but he was too good for high school, so he got his GED and graduated two years ahead of schedule, then went to junior college, then played against young men two or three years older -- and was the best player in the country.

Harper hit .443 with 31 home runs and 98 RBI. Sounds like a great season, right? Well, it's better than that. Harper did that in just 66 games.

Oh, and it's better than that, too.

Harper did it with a wooden bat.

Well, most of it. Harper played for the College of Southern Nevada, a junior college in the Scenic West Athletic Conference, one of a handful of juco leagues that use wood bats. Considering most schools use aluminum bats, Harper wasn't competing among national leaders on a level playing field. If this were track, Harper was the only guy running into a 20 mph headwind -- yet he still won the race.

And lapped the field.

To make the playing field level in the postseason, juco tournaments are played with aluminum bats. And with an aluminum bat in his hands, in a national tournament, against one of the best teams in the country, Bryce Harper went 6-for-6.

With one double. One triple.

Four home runs.

Ten RBI.

In one game.
Washington Nationals

Washington Nationals

Danny Knobler
Time to get excited, D.C.: Bryce Harper is coming. It's a stroke of good luck to be bad before the right draft. More
Related links

Nationals make phenom Harper first selection

Blog: Facts & Rumors

MLB Draft: Tracker | No. 1 overall picks

This stuff just doesn't happen. Baseball is way too difficult for someone to make it look this easy, and I don't care what level it is. But Harper has done it at every level he has ever played. When he was a freshman in high school, he hit .590 with 11 home runs and 67 RBI in 38 games. As a freshman. When he was a sophomore, he hit .626 with 14 home runs.

That's not baseball -- that's batting practice. And Harper was doing it against older players, just like this season at Southern Nevada. No wonder Harper skipped his final two years of high school. What was left for him to do at Las Vegas High, hit .800?

When Harper did his magic trick in 2009, getting his GED and skipping those final two years of high school so he could play in junior college and become eligible for the 2010 MLB draft, I hated it. I had one of those visceral reactions where I sit down and pound out a furious column in about 25 minutes. It just came pouring out. Here's what I said, and while I'm no longer predicting Harper's downfall, I stand by the sentiment:

Baseball is a mental grind. It is a crapshoot. This isn't basketball, where a high school LeBron James is going to become an NBA superstar almost every time. In baseball, a high school LeBron James can become a professional Tim Beckham. Remember him? Beckham was the best high school player in the country in 2008, and he went No. 1 overall to Tampa Bay and signed quickly. This is his third season in pro ball, and he's still in Class A. Hitting .218. He has more strikeouts than hits. He has hit into more double-plays than home runs. It's too soon to call him a bust -- he's just 20 years old -- but it doesn't look good. Because baseball is that hard.

Harper is making it look easy, but now comes the hard part. Not for him -- for us. Because now we have to wait. Everything about Bryce Harper's career has been calculated, from the way he skipped high school to the way he chose a juco that uses wood bats to the way he picked (gulp) Scott Boras as his agent. Which means we won't see Harper in the minors any time soon.

In the meantime we can enjoy the renaissance of American baseball, what with all these crazy-good U.S. prospects coming up at the same time. Braves outfielder Jason Heyward is slugging .506 and on pace for more than 25 home runs and 100 RBI -- and he's just 20. But he's old news, because Strasburg just debuted. And he's about to become old news, because the Marlins just promoted enormous outfielder Mike Stanton, who hit well and with prodigious power in two minor league stops before debuting with the Marlins on Tuesday with three hits in his first MLB game. He's 20.

Any of those three guys would be the best prospect in years, but they're just the placeholder until Harper arrives. But again, for that, we'll have to wait. Technically the Nationals have until Aug. 16 to sign Harper or lose his rights, but Harper didn't skip two years of high school to muscle his way into this draft to not get paid. So he'll sign, but it will take some time, probably so much that the 2010 minor league season will be winding down. So we'll have to wait for next spring to see Harper's next amazing trick.

And it'll be amazing. I know that much. I would say this guy is going to change the way baseball is played, but that assumes there are other young athletes who can play it the same way. And there are not. The numbers say Harper is the best young prospect ever, and I'm inclined to believe them.

What a rush it must be to root for the Nationals. Those of you in attendance Tuesday night, you'll tell your kids that you saw the MLB debut of Stephen Strasburg.

And some day, Strasburg will tell his kids that he saw the debut of Bryce Harper.

http://www.cbssports.com/columns/sto...als-and-nation

[fren.]

The blip about Harper not having an equal past or present is a bunch of shit. ARod was a sensational defender at a premium position and stole bases at will.

[Akiyama]

There's a shocker lol

It's odd, yanno? Everyone at one time sorda migrated to the AL, whether it was for money or what, and then people started to get drafted over to the AL when it wasn't as great, and now, slowly but surely, players are starting to migrate back.

[Gregorio]

Fucking Philly rainout screwed up CC/Doc matchup next Tuesday

But it looks like it could push him back to Wednesday and I'll be at the game. :D

[Akiyama]

God. Fucking. Damnit Braves bullpen/Bobby Cox. Kelly Johnson wears out Lefties. So what do you do? You leave a lefty in instead of bringing your closer in with 2 outs in the 8th? Come on.

[Akiyama]

Nevermind. Braves offense made up for it on Qualls. All is forgiven.

[Gregorio]

Can the Phillies please give Halladay a few runs every once in a while?

[Ohemgee]

JJ shutting them down. 17 in a row in to the 9th

[Ohemgee]

20 Phillies in a row (edit: can't do it) with a Nunez save.

[Akiyama]

20 Phillies in a row with a Nunez save.

Did you forget about Polanco's double? lol

[Ohemgee]

Did you forget about Polanco's double? lol

Yes. D: I was taking a shit and my 3G isn't covered in my toilet

[Akiyama]

Yes. D: I was taking a shit and my 3G isn't covered in my toilet

Haha. Derp.

[*Shinzon*]

Ugh, Jon Niese was one hitter away from a Perfect game at home. Man since he's come back from the DL he has been lights out. Great game, glad I had tickets though D: Threw a complete game one hitter.

[Headspace]

Dick Vitale struck by foul ball at Rays game and going nuts on Baseball Tonight about Izzo

[Ohemgee]

NO DICKY V

[Gregorio]

Phillies need Rollins back in the worst way. He's the heart of the team and they really struggle without him. And also Happ. I know Blanton is typically a second half pitcher...but if he keeps this up they need to keep Kendrick up and send fatJoe down cause he simply isn't gettin it done. Plus Happ is the shit and just as good as Josh Johnson.

[Moss]

Plus Happ is the shit and just as good as Josh Johnson.

you best be trollan

[Conrad]

You don't know? One year as a starter is enough to compare a pitcher to an already-established ace. That's why Strasburg is the next Roy Halladay already.

[Akiyama]

You don't know? One year as a starter is enough to compare a pitcher to an already-established ace. That's why Strasburg is the next Roy Halladay already.

Roy Halladay? Please. Don't compare Strasburg to that scrub. Strasburg is a mixture of Cy Young and Nolan Ryan clearly. Hell, the award should be the Strasburg Award, not the Cy Young.