Are the Washington Nationals ready for Bryce Harper?
Or perhaps more importantly, is the 2010 first overall pick ready for the majors?
The Nationals acquired enough pitching during the offseason to make a wild-card bid this year, but they still need a center fielder. Maybe they can fill the void by shuffling the outfield and putting Harper in right after his promising 2011 with two minor league teams and the Arizona Fall League.
But if the Nats are really ready to accelerate Harper’s promotion to Opening Day — which could make him eligible for arbitration a year earlier — uncertainty shifts to the 19-year-old’s maturity.
Harper is still two years away from being able to drink a beer legally. His contemporaries are freshmen in college, where being a knucklehead isn’t unusual.
Harper would be exposed to immense pressure. It’s not just about being able to hit at a major league level. Can Harper handle being baited by other teams? Can he stop himself from blowing a kiss to the pitcher after a home run like he did in the minors last year?
In an interview with MLB.com, Harper said, “A football player I can name is Joe Namath. … He had that city life and everything like that, but he was one of the best quarterbacks to play the game. I can’t say I’m like Joe Namath. … He went out. He played, but he had fun. He had a night life. He had his own place, I think it was called Bachelors III. He had his own thing that he wanted to do. …
“He was in the style. He did all those commercials, things like that. He loved it. I think that’s huge. That’s one side of me that I like. I’m not your typical, ‘Hey, I’m going to be Johnny Good.’ You are a baseball player. … I’m going to have fun off the field, too.”
Talk like that creates some worry that Harper will become a partier in a sport historically filled with them. With TMZ and other media stalkers — plus fans with cell phone cameras — following Harper regularly, there’s a chance the young phenom could end up in trouble like many young celebrities.
But nothing Harper has done makes him seem like a problem. He’s from Las Vegas, not from sheltered Iowa cornfields. There haven’t been off-field problems yet, so maybe the Nats shouldn’t worry about him.
Let Harper’s spring training dictate whether he’s in the Opening Day lineup. If he shows the same flashes he did in batting .333 in the Arizona Fall League, Washington must play Harper over Roger Bernadina, Rick Ankiel and Mike Cameron. Bat him sixth in preparation for 2013, when the Nats might push seriously for the NL East title.
If Harper struggles during the spring, there’s nothing wrong with giving him another half-season in the minors. There’s still time for him to have a 20-year career and retire before he’s 40.
It’s simple: If Harper’s ready, play him.
Examiner columnist Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more on Twitter @Snide_Remarks or email [email protected].
