Bryce Harper - Actually Living Up to the Hype

by BryceHarper on Mar 30, 2026 4:46 PM EDT Comment 41 comments

So the draft is fast approaching. Despite some scouts and critics saying Harper made a poor decision by-passing his senior year in HS, he has so far proven them wrong. Harper's season stats to date are as follows:

In 31 games: .431 Avg./.931 slg.%/.528OBP 13doubles, 1 triple, 12Hr's, 39runs, 35rbi's

Granted that it's JUCO, he's still only 17yrs old against competition at least two years older than him, and he's putting up these numbers using wood bats.

In terms of his defense, early reports are that he has a very strong arm, but he may grow a bit more, and would be average behind the plate. He needs more innings behind the dish. If a team wanted to advance his bat to the majors, a position shift to 3B would be likely.

Has anyone had an opportunity to see him play? I'd also like to hear if anyone has any comparisons for him.

Money aside, if you had #1 overall, is he the guy you'd take?

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ignoring money, I think it's a no-brainer

the better question is: how long until Strasburg is pitching to Harper?

by rmarx on Mar 30, 2026 5:38 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

If the Nats draft Harper

Probably 10 years.

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by demondeaconsbaseball on Mar 30, 2026 5:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Good question

If his bat is advanced, I guess they have to decide if they want him to take 2-3yrs in the minors to solidify him behind the plate. OR, if his bat show’s he’s ready (a la Heyward), and you want to bring him along quicker, I suspect they move him to third to get him to the majors.

by BryceHarper on Mar 30, 2026 5:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I would wait and see...

I would plan on bringing him as a catcher unless he doesn’t appear to be more than average. Otherwise I would move him to third to get his bat up quicker. I wouldn’t be surprised if he rises like A-Rod did which would show how truly special he is.

by joegonzo on Mar 30, 2026 6:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

bang on

it’s a good point, which I think the club that drafts him will approach it.

by BryceHarper on Mar 30, 2026 8:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Norris is a factor, too

If it’s the Nats, they also have Derek Norris, so his progress might affect the Nats’ thinking on moving Harper off of C. But they should definitely start him at C and then see what happens from there.

by Joltin Joe Orsulak on Apr 1, 2026 10:28 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

maybe

In a vacuum, Harper would be more likely to stick at catcher than Norris. But Harper can fit at a number of other positions, while Norris would be a first baseman.

Scenario that makes the most sense, I think: Zimmerman at 3B, Harper at C, Norris at 1B, Chris Marrero (remember him?) in LF. I don’t think you can have both Harper and Norris in your system and not have one of them end up at catcher, especially if you’re the Nationals and will take value above the average anywhere you can take it.

by mrkupe on Apr 1, 2026 12:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well if neither can handle catcher, you have to move them

I’m not exceedingly high on Norris sticking so he’ll probably be at 1B long term. Harper is a bit more unknown. From the little bit that I’ve read, his receiving has been better this year, but he is a big kid and catching may slow down his time table. He should be able to handle RF just fine if third is blocked and he moves off of catcher. It’d be nice if one of the two can stay at catcher, but they can all fit into the lineup if neither can.

by jar75 on Apr 1, 2026 12:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I have a feeling Taillon is going first.

I’d take Harper.

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by alskor on Mar 30, 2026 5:38 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I don't see it happening

If Harper continues to hit, the Nats will take him. I’m just hoping the Pirates don’t pass on Taillon.

by jar75 on Mar 30, 2026 6:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

HS pitcher?

Nah. Mr Harper is the #1 pick.

by wilriv21 on Mar 30, 2026 9:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah

A HS pitcher with poor command. If he had Rick Porcello’s polish it would make more sense. But Taillon has some work to do before being big league ready. I still can’t believe a high school kid that throws 94-98 with 2 plus offspeed pitches can possibly give up 11 runs in a game. How can these hitters make enough contact to get the hits and errors(3 of the first 4 runs were unearned although he gave up some HRs IIRC) required? Likely numerous cock shots were thrown. The kid is a thrower.

The best thing the Nationals can do is take Bryce Harper #1 overall and hope he signs. If not, get the 2nd pick in a much better 2011 draft.

I’m not sure what Nats fans will hate more, not taking Harper or not signing him. IMO not taking him in favor of Taillon causes me to become a fan of a different team. The Nats will likely offer Harper the same deal they gave Strasburg and say that’s the limit. That would be understandable. If he doesn’t sign, he doesn’t sign.

by UncleBuck44 on Mar 31, 2026 2:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

The only thing that sticks out to me as not so great is his striking out the same amount as the rest of his teammates.

by bigboy1234 on Mar 30, 2026 6:12 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

walk rate

agree, but I think his walk rate balances that though. hard to argue with a .528OBP.

by BryceHarper on Mar 30, 2026 6:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

why would

he be using a wood bat in Juco?

by SoCalSoxFan on Mar 30, 2026 6:32 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

It looks better...

for whoever drafts him.

by joegonzo on Mar 30, 2026 6:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

it is a wood bat league

by jibs on Mar 30, 2026 6:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I doubt he sticks behind the plate

Too big and still growing. I see 1B in his future.

by Hank Aaron on Mar 30, 2026 8:10 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

He's an athlete with a cannon. He will play 3B/RF long before he ever plays first.

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by Tyler on Mar 30, 2026 8:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Zimmerman at 3b
Harper at RF

by wilriv21 on Mar 30, 2026 9:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

That sounds like fantastic 3-4 punch.

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by Taskmaster on Mar 31, 2026 6:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Same for Weiters and Mauer

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by Brickhaus on Mar 31, 2026 12:23 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Money aside-I definitely take him #1

The problem (for the Nats or whoever drafts him) is that he has major leverage and is gonna want a TON of money

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by Gobroks on Mar 30, 2026 8:11 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, he has a crazy amount of leverage

The only thing working against him is that next year is a significantly more impressive draft class and he may not go 1.1 when competing with Rendon, Cole and Jungmann.

by jar75 on Mar 30, 2026 8:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, I wouldn't take him #1 overall next year

He would still want ~15+ million and I’d rather spend half that on one of the 3 you mentioned plus use the rest of the budget to sign some other top picks and not have to take a guy like Trevor Holder in the 3rd round

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Hoping for BowkerMania to hit AT&T; Park in 2010

by Gobroks on Mar 30, 2026 8:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

really?

Half of $15 million is a probably-not-all-that-surprising-to-you $7.5 million. Assuming that neither Cole nor Rendon craps the bed sometime between now and June 2011, I don’t see either of them signing for less than $10 million. I suspect Cole could/most likely will get significantly more than that, although not quite the Strasburg deal. If Cole gets what he wants, then Rendon (who could end up going ahead of him in the draft in any case) will probably push to get a deal similar to that. Rendon’s probably going to end up getting a lot more money than any position player draft prospect before him.

I could see Jungmann being somewhere in the $5-7 million if all checks out, but he can’t quite match Cole’s raw stuff and his fastball command is a bit erratic.

by mrkupe on Mar 30, 2026 11:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Maybe 7.5 million was a tad low

I think Rendon and Cole will probably get deals similar to what Ackley got (~9.5 Mill right?) I just picked an arbitrary number that seemed semi-realisticand said half

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Kevin Frandsen: Better than any SS on the Giants roster
Hoping for BowkerMania to hit AT&T; Park in 2010

by Gobroks on Mar 30, 2026 11:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

yeah, $9.5 million

Cole won’t use Ackley as a standard though, he’ll use Strasburg’s deal. And Cole is REALLY good . . .even he knows he’s not worth that much to a team, but he’ll get 8 figures.

Rendon will start at Ackley’s deal and work up from there. Lots of positional uncertainty around Ackley at draft time due to the arm injury, while Rendon is a shortstop. Guys with middle infield potential and Rendon’s offensive ability are true rarities out of the college ranks, and I have to believe he’ll be paid accordingly.

Frankly, your guess is probably as good as mine. For the moment, my highly speculative guess is $10.45 million for Rendon (10 percent more than Ackley’s deal), and somewhere in the area of $12.5 million for Cole.

by mrkupe on Mar 30, 2026 11:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I thought Rendon was a 3B-is he just there because Hague is playing SS?

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by Gobroks on Mar 30, 2026 11:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

whoops, that was my bad

You are right, I had the two reversed in my mind. Hague is the shortstop but might be a pro 3B. Rendon was a HS shortstop but is now a third baseman, and a very good one at that.

by mrkupe on Mar 30, 2026 11:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Scouts on Harper

Some scouts are worried that Bryce Harper, the consensus No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, has too much size at such a young age.

Harper, who doesn’t turn 18 until October, is 6-foot-2 and over 200 pounds. “You worry that if he gets too big, his swing just won’t be quick enough when he starts facing guys who throw harder,” a talent evaluator told ESPN.com’s Buster Olney. “[Joe Mauer is the prototypical big catcher], but the thing about Mauer is that he’s so athletic. Nothing is forced. Harper has a strong arm, but there is not nearly the fluidity that Mauer has.”
Source: ESPN Insider

by Hank Aaron on Mar 30, 2026 8:12 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

A bit premature

6’2 200lbs isn’t that big. He could grow another inch or two and round out around 6’3 210lbs, which given the size of guys like Pierzynski and Wieters isn’t all that big. Obviously it’s still a possibility.

by BryceHarper on Mar 30, 2026 8:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You think he'll only put on ten pounds?

He’s seventeen.

by aap212 on Mar 31, 2026 2:39 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

He's clearly a very driven person.

I see no reason his weight will be an issue. Even if he’s 6’3" 220lbs, which is a very reasonable size to expect, you’d assume someone who wants to be a star will work to make sure that he is putting on good weight, in which case it won’t be an issue.

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by Tyler on Mar 31, 2026 8:12 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's not about being driven

People put on weight after the age of 17, even the really driven ones and athletes. Other than LeBron James, most athletes haven’t filled out by that age.

by aap212 on Mar 31, 2026 6:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I understand this.

But he’s going to be a professional athlete with access to elite training facilities. It’s not that hard to put on good weight and still maintain flexibility. Particularly when you can have a nutritionist and a legit personal trainer.

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by Tyler on Mar 31, 2026 7:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Are you over the age of 17?

Certain kinds of weight gain/loss of flexibility is inevitable. It comes with aging, regardless of how driven you are. It’s part of physically maturing.

His best bet would have been to beg his mom to do an insane amount of drinking/drugs to stunt his development.

Who loves orange soda?

by Kenan and Kel on Mar 31, 2026 7:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm 26.

I’m 6’ and at 19 weighted 187lbs. I’m currently 164lbs. Genetics play a role in body composition, but you can work on flexibility and strength. You see it in football all the time.

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by Tyler on Mar 31, 2026 8:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Pure Pidgeon Holing

Really? He’s a muscular 6’2 and 210lbs and this is somehow a NEGATIVE?

This part of baseball cracks me up. Too short, too tall, too fat, and now too muscular? I dont recall Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, or Jose Canseco ever possessing a swing that wasn’t “quick enough”; and those guys were huge. The irony about that entire statement is that Harper’s best tool is his ridiculous bat speed.

by metafour on Mar 31, 2026 9:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs