We heard all about Nationals phenom Bryce Harper as he made his swift progression to the major leagues with incredible raw power and a strong throwing arm. What we didn’t get to see as he plied his trade in the minor leagues during his first pro season — and an extra month this spring — was how much pressure he can put on the opposition while running the bases. That skill goes hand-in-hand with Harper’s pure aggression, and it’s possible that defenses will take advantage of it in the coming weeks. But for now Harper is not only getting on base, he is making things happen when he does.
He arrived in the big leagues April 28. A week later, after reaching on an intentional hit-by-pitch from Phillies lefty Cole Hamels, Harper made Philadelphia pay when he stole home on a pickoff throw to first base. That game was broadcast on ESPN and drew attention for its daring.
But Harper hasn’t stopped. On Saturday against the Atlanta Braves, what looked like a routine single to right fielder Jason Heyward turned into a double. Yes, Heyward played the ball nonchalantly and bobbled it, too. But Harper started accelerating around first base even before that happened. With two out and nobody on base, he suddenly turned an easy inning for the Braves into an RBI opportunity for Ryan Zimmerman. There’s obviously more here than just home runs.
But Harper (.286 batting average, four homers) has that covered, too. His homer off Atlanta reliever Jonny Venters in the seventh inning of Saturday’s 8-4 win was shocking. First, Venters is a lefty, and Harper, a left-handed batter, didn’t exactly scald those guys during his time in the minors. That was expected to be a weakness early. And yet when Venters left a ball a little up and out over the plate, Harper didn’t try to pull it, which likely would have resulted in a routine grounder or pop out. Instead, he drove it to the opposite field so hard on a line that it cleared the fence in left. And that came off a reliever who gave up two homers in 88 innings in 2011. You could almost hear the scouting reports being rewritten all over baseball.
– Brian McNally
