He had a beautiful throw to home in his debut Saturday, but the catcher dropped it when he collided with the runner (Hairston). Then, yesterday he had that awesome catch off the wall.
Harper looks like the real deal. I do wonder if he will maintain the hustle he showed in his first game where he absolutely busted it to 1st on a routine grounder. If he does, he'll be breaking the bank in 5 years.
One of the kids I graduated with was at a futures homerun derby with this kid. Bryce was 15, Ryan was 18. Bryce dominated the contest that included many future college/ minor league players. Kids a beast.
If jayson werth could get 120million I have no doubt even harper turns out to be a srub he will get paid.
Pretty good start in four games. 6/13 3 doubles (two off the wall tonight) threw two strikes from left field (catcher dropped one, ump may bad call on the other)
Hamels threw a 93MPH fastball at Harper's ribcage yesterday. Two batters later Harper stole home on him. :grin: <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ANueHU2GbUY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Afterwards Hamel admitted to doing it on purpose, which set Nats GM Rizzo off. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/nationals-journal/post/mike-rizzo-calls-cole-hamels-fake-tough-calls-for-suspension-after-classless-gutless-act/2012/05/07/gIQAZPO07T_blog.html?hpid=z2 Anyway, pretty awesome rivalry developing between these two teams. Nats have won 8 of 9 series to start the season.
Yeah - Hamels' comments made no sense. I understand the "old school" retaliation stuff. But what exactly did Harper do him or the Phillies to retaliate for?
Harper does put off an aura of arrogance, but since making the majors he hasn't said or done anything bad.
Yeah - he did some jackassy things in the minors, but since coming to the majors, he seems to have been the model of what you want - running hard on every ball, playing defense all out, etc. He's been the opposite of the minor league prima dona that seemed to be when he first got drafted.
Got the game-winning hit tonight. Named Rookie of the Month for May. Hitting .288/.375/.528 on the season so far. Doesn't turn 20 until October.
I'll just hijack this thread as my general Nationals 2012 thread. Swept Red Sox at Fenway this weekend. On Friday Strasburg struck out 13 and Harper had 3 hits including a 420 foot bomb. Nats future looks extremely bright, and they appear to be a legit contender this season.
Their 160 inning limit on Strasburg seems like a trainwreck waiting to happen. Assuming they stay this good and are in contention in August when the innings limit arrives, what do you do? Do you stick to the approach, which was sort of based on an arbitrary number? You'd be telling fans that, despite the fact that you have the best team in the NL and a legit World Series opportunity, and the whole reason of getting these players was to win, we're going to bench our healthy superstar ace pitcher during the most critical period of the season and, even worse, for the playoffs. Or do you keep him pitching? In which case, if he does get injured, you've got a nightmare on your hands. If I were the Nats and committed to the innings limit, I would consider benching Strasburg now and seeing if they could stay in contention. And then bring him back in August for the stretch run, and if you make the playoffs, let him pitch there and go over the 160 innings limit if needed - I think you can justify it for 3-5 playoff games.
I have heard this Strasburg argument several places and I think the best point made was from White Sox announcer and former CY Young winner Steve Stone. He was asked about the White Sox shutting down Chris Sale after 150 innings and said that the White Sox.....and The Nationals with Strasburg......need to focus on pitch count per game as opposed to overall innings. Limit a guy to nothing more than 75 or 80 pitches a game. This affords you the chance to keep the player active longer while limiting the wear and tear of a 100+ pitch start every 5 days. I think that is the smartest way to deal with a young arm.
"That's a Clown Question, Bro" Spoiler <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/JzbhjzsyvGk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> and a new meme was born
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