Bryce Harper is just the coolest guy in town.
Hit Harper with a pitch intentionally and he will steal home without making a peep. Heckle the rookie outfielder from the dugout and he will respond with compliments instead of criticism.
The Washington Nationals once worried they were rushing the 19-year-old to the majors. Instead, he made the All-Star Game and has created a handful of memorable moments.
Harper’s .275 average, eight home runs and 26 RBIs in 68 games are respectable. Those numbers certainly will go up. His defensive gaffes certainly will go down.
But that’s secondary to Harper’s growth. The whispers when he signed two years ago mostly were about his supposed immaturity: He wasn’t a good teammate. He wore so much eye black that he looked like a disciple of the heavy metal band KISS. It seemed a bit Little League.
Instead, the most impressive part of Harper is his maturity. His older teammates have done an excellent job helping him adjust to the game’s pace and keeping him away from temptation. Some locker rooms — for instance, the Wizards before they recently jettisoned their knuckleheads — can ruin a young player.
Sure, Harper has displayed a few emotional moments. He smacked a bat against a dugout wall and ended up needing stitches above his eye. He broke a bat over his knee Monday when he failed to deliver. But that’s nothing like he did a year ago, when he blew a kiss to a pitcher after a home run in the minors.
Harper obviously respects the game and knows rookies are better seen and not heard — even if they’re considered the next Mickey Mantle. When Harper was hit intentionally by Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels on May 7, the rookie charged the bases instead of the mound, then stole national headlines by swiping home.
When Florida manager Ozzie Guillen chirped from the dugout Sunday that the rookie had excessive pine tar on his bat, Harper refused to be baited. Many older players would have responded, but Harper instead complimented Guillen, saying, “He’s a great manager to play for. He’s going to battle for you no matter what. That’s a manager you want to play for.”
Kinda hard to hate the kid after that.
Harper even created a sensation when a Canadian reporter asked whether he would have a celebratory beer after a game in Toronto, where the 19-year-old could drink legally.
“That’s a clown question, bro,” Harper said. The line was soon repeated by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and seen by more than 772,000 on YouTube.
On his first idle day in the District, Harper was seen playing softball on the National Mall. How cool was that? He makes millions of dollars and yet accepts an invitation to take a few swings in a friendly game.
While athletes are too often packaged by publicists, Harper is genuine. It is so refreshing. Hopefully, it never ends.
Examiner columnist Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more on Twitter @Snide_Remarks or email [email protected].
