Nationals recall Bryce Harper

[757690]

Yes, BA was around. But the amount of information wasn't. BA gets almost all of their information from other sources. They don't have their own scouts. They are reporters who work in North Carolina and get a lot of their information from other places. It isn't close to the same now as it was back then. It would have gone un-reported. Until 1983, BA was working out of Canada. I am sure they were all over the attitudes of players.

And yes, the internet has been around for about 20 years now. Again, that is great, but the amount of coverage available of things isn't close to the same now as it was then, or even in 2005. Everyone has the internet on their phone today. If they see something, they tweet it. They post it to facebook. It spreads like wildfires. That didn't happen in 2005, much less 1995. Comparing the coverage of minor league baseball now to the coverage of it at any other time in history is crazy. It isn't even close. There used to be one publication that covered it. Now there are 20 and a slew of dedicated team websites out there as well. That cover it every single day instead of a once a month publication.

Quick, name the player who threw a fastball into the stands in Dayton and hit a fan. I bet you can't without looking it up. But you can tell me the name of Bryce Harper, who has never done anything close to that.

And yet, that incident got national coverage. If that player made it to the bigs, i definitely would know his name.

BA was definitely talking about the makeup of amateur and minor league players back in the 80's. I know, I read it regularly.

Yes, there is more coverage of everything these days, but you are acting like we used smoke signals before 2005. Really, since the invention of the radio, we have been informed of anything that happens that would be considered interesting or news. I imagine people said the same thing about Frank Sinatra, or James Dean, or Mickey Mantle when stories about them were reported, that it's just a result of this new media that reports everything a star does.

Anyway, before Harper was drafted, his scouting reported said he had the worst makeup of any amateur player the scouts had ever seen. You can't blame that on the internet.

[dougdirt]

Really, since the invention of the radio, we have been informed of anything that happens that would be considered interesting or news. I imagine people said the same thing about Frank Sinatra, or James Dean, or Mickey Mantle when stories about them were reported, that it's just a result of this new media that reports everything a star does.

Read things about what teammates said about Mantle and the media back then. Essentially it is that he would have never survived in todays environment because of how little the media actually covered his exploits.

Anyway, before Harper was drafted, his scouting reported said he had the worst makeup of any amateur player the scouts had ever seen. You can't blame that on the internet.

Well, that is certainly what ONE scout said. And you know what, he was wrong. Guys doing drugs have worse make up than a guy with an attitude. Guys going out and getting in fights have worse make up than a guy with an attitude. Guys going out and getting DUI's and womanizing have worse make up than a guy with an attitude.

Was Bryce Harper at age 15 an ego maniac? Maybe. Has he done some things that he wishes he hasn't? Probably. Would most of it have gone un-reported in 1995? Probably.

[757690]

Read things about what teammates said about Mantle and the media back then. Essentially it is that he would have never survived in todays environment because of how little the media actually covered his exploits.

Well, that is certainly what ONE scout said. And you know what, he was wrong. Guys doing drugs have worse make up than a guy with an attitude. Guys going out and getting in fights have worse make up than a guy with an attitude. Guys going out and getting DUI's and womanizing have worse make up than a guy with an attitude.

Was Bryce Harper at age 15 an ego maniac? Maybe. Has he done some things that he wishes he hasn't? Probably. Would most of it have gone un-reported in 1995? Probably.

You can keep saying it, but it doesn't make it true. I was 29 in 1995 and I can tell you with absolute certainty that if an amateur player acted like Harper back then, it would have been reported.

And Mantle had a reputation very similar to Harper's when he came up, of being overly cocky and arrogant. That was widely reported. The exploits you are talking about happened off the field and were of a personal nature. We aren't talking about that here with Harper, we are talking about how he has acted on the field.

[dougdirt]

You can keep saying it, but it doesn't make it true. I was 29 in 1995 and I can tell you with absolute certainty that if an amateur player acted like Harper back then, it would have been reported.

And Mantle had a reputation very similar to Harper's when he came up, of being overly cocky and arrogant. That was widely reported. The exploits you are talking about happened off the field and were of a personal nature. We aren't talking about that here with Harper, we are talking about how he has acted on the field.

The point with Mantle compared to Harper is that everyone is a reporter today, not just the actual reporters. Mantle would be all over TMZ, youtube, vimeo, twitvid, facebook for his off the field stuff. But that didn't happen back then because it didn't exist. Now we have pictures of Arod in an elevator with a woman who isn't his wife. There are more places covering everything now, so there is going to be more information out there.

Trust me, I know of things about guys, both as they came up and guys who were in the Majors, who are much more of an issue with their decisions than anything that has been reported on Bryce Harper.

I am done with this though. I don't think the guy is a jerk because of some things he did before he was legally allowed to get his drivers license in some states. You obviously disagree.

[Tom Servo]

Mickey Mantle was indeed, by most accounts, a jerk too. It's all subjective though.

[Joseph]

And really, jerk or not, his success won't be dictated by how he treats a clubhouse guy or if he blows a kiss at a pitcher.

[jojo]

And really, jerk or not, his success won't be dictated by how he treats a clubhouse guy or if he blows a kiss at a pitcher.

Well if he blows a kiss at a pitcher, he'll have to change his game by learning to quack a lot...because he'll be a duckin'....

[Ghosts of 1990]

Read things about what teammates said about Mantle and the media back then. Essentially it is that he would have never survived in todays environment because of how little the media actually covered his exploits.



Well, that is certainly what ONE scout said. And you know what, he was wrong. Guys doing drugs have worse make up than a guy with an attitude. Guys going out and getting in fights have worse make up than a guy with an attitude. Guys going out and getting DUI's and womanizing have worse make up than a guy with an attitude.

Was Bryce Harper at age 15 an ego maniac? Maybe. Has he done some things that he wishes he hasn't? Probably. Would most of it have gone un-reported in 1995? Probably.

Awesome post, especially the latter part.

Harper is so off the charts in measurables, scouts (or a scout) had to come up with something to knock in his game. We were all different at 15-19 etc. he doesn't know who he is yet. I didn't until I was 27 or so

[marcshoe]

Did he blow a kiss at a pitcher, or was he just spitting sunflower seeds?

[Brutus]

Oh, I know some of the things. I also know that they were done by a kid who was the age of a high schooler. Darn near everyone has a story or five about something they did in high school that never got outside of a small group of people because they did it in high school and no one ever paid attention to it outside of that small town/school/rival school.

Again, we would all look like jerks if we had cameras on us at age 17-19. All of us. But most of us aren't, we were just teenagers who had swings of emotion and immaturity, because we were teenagers.

Doug, there's a difference between being immature and being a jerk. I don't disagree with you maturity might be part of it, but being cocky is something that generally doesn't seem to go away.

[dougdirt]

Doug, there's a difference between being immature and being a jerk. I don't disagree with you maturity might be part of it, but being cocky is something that generally doesn't seem to go away.

There is a difference in being cocky and being a jerk too.

[cumberlandreds]

Harper looks like the real deal to me. Made a great catch in CF yesterday too. The Nats have a good one and another franchise player to go along with Strasburg and Zimmerman.
I'll withhold any judgement against him for being too arrogant until I have seen him in the big leagues for a while. Whatever happened in the minors is in the past and part of the growing and learning process. Some things he did in the minors will never fly in the majors and I think he knows that now.

[Scrap Irony]

If Harper can play CF long-term (and I think he can), the call-up is fine. The Nats have a gigantic hole in CF (and LF for that matter) and Harper plugs it as well as it can be plugged for as long as he's there.

The problem is that this starts his service time, and, with the exception of ticket sales, this move hurts Washington long-term (assuming he doesn't sign there in six years). In other words, 25-year-old Bryce Harper > 19-year-old Bryce Harper.

That said, Washington is likely to be in the hunt for the playoffs all year, assuming no one else goes down. They're tied for first place right now and have the pitching (that starting staff might be the best top to bottom in the league-- and that includes the Phils) to stay long-term. They need offensive pop. Harper might just provide that.

[oneupper]

In 2003, a 20 yo Miguel Cabrera was "rushed" to the Marlins, who only went on to be World Champs that year.
He turned out Ok. (As a player, that is).

[Ghosts of 1990]

If Harper can play CF long-term (and I think he can), the call-up is fine. The Nats have a gigantic hole in CF (and LF for that matter) and Harper plugs it as well as it can be plugged for as long as he's there.

The problem is that this starts his service time, and, with the exception of ticket sales, this move hurts Washington long-term (assuming he doesn't sign there in six years). In other words, 25-year-old Bryce Harper > 19-year-old Bryce Harper.

That said, Washington is likely to be in the hunt for the playoffs all year, assuming no one else goes down. They're tied for first place right now and have the pitching (that starting staff might be the best top to bottom in the league-- and that includes the Phils) to stay long-term. They need offensive pop. Harper might just provide that.

I think that they're of the mindset, we don't care when he's a free agent, we're locking him up no matter the cost anyways. He's never leaving town. If they have that mindset they don't care when his clock starts. That's at least what I think they're thinking.