Bryce Harper: The Next Babe Ruth?

Sports Illustrated recently wrote a piece on a 16 year old phenom from Las Vegas… Bryce Harper. The cover shows Bryce in his follow through with the words: 570 foot home runs, 96 mph fastballs, 16 years old. Those three numbers alone are all you need to know to that this kid is a legit superstar. To the left of his picture, he is referred to as “The Chosen One”, who is the most exciting prodigy since LeBron (James). Once I read the cover, I had to see what all the hype is about. The kid, and I am using kid lightly because he is a beast, stands at 6′3″ and weighs 205 pounds.  That type of physique is easily comparable to Alex Rodriguez. The other images within the article show his aggressiveness, along with the look of a competitor.

Harper, regularly a catcher, throws bullets from the mound as well. He has been clocked at 96 mph, which is absolutely incredible. Few college pitchers can hit the mid-90’s; however, Harper is a catcher and will not pitch when he is drafted. In one game, the left handed Harper hit a ball over the right field fence, two trees, another fence, a sidewalk, 5-lanes of traffic on elevated South Hollywood Boulevard, and yet another sidewalk until it finally landed in the desert. When his coaches went back a few days later to measure the blast, it was reported he hit the ball 570 feet. I don’t care that he was using an aluminum bat… that is an amazing feat from someone at his age.  Pending any serious injuries, Bryce Harper will be eligible for the 2011 draft. When he was asked what his goals were as a baseball player, he responded confidently:

“Be in the Hall of Fame, definitely. Play in pinstripes. Be considered the greatest baseball player who ever lived. I can’t wait.”

That cockiness and confidence is very rarely seen in anyone as young as him. I spoke with a few people about this article, and they were shocked by his arrogance. Truthfully, that does not bother me. In order to succeed, you need to believe you are the best at what you do. I was so engrossed in this story, that I just had to perform a YouTube search for “Bryce Harper”. I was extremely surprised to see all the results that populated on my screen. The first video that appeared in the list of results was the one I watched. The video is about 8 minutes long, but the last 5 minutes shows his performance at a high school Power Showcase at Tropicana Field in Tampa. From a former baseball players perspective, he has a ’sweet’ swing. It’s as beautiful as Ken Griffey Jr.’s, and as powerful as Gary Sheffield’s. At one time during the derby, his swing was clocked at 105 mph! I am not going to jump the gun and say he is going to be the next Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, or Alex Rodriguez, but the kid has talent. It will be interesting to see how he performs when facing professional pitching in the next phase of his baseball career. Personally, if he wants to have a long, successful career, it might be in his best interest to switch positions to one less strenuous. Catchers normally do not have very long careers. I am excited to see what this kid will bring to the table in a few years.

Do you think Bryce Harper will be a MLB superstar? What are your thoughts on this talented 16 year old?