He is a Griffey/Arod type of prospect currently. His bat speed is simply on a different level than scouts have seen before for someone his age. He is a catcher with outstanding tools behind the plate (and no, not for a 17 year old.... for anyone). There were scouts out there who said if he had been eligible for the draft that they would have taken him, at age 16, over Stephen Strasburg.
I'm surprised that his parents didn't attempt to get him eligible as an international signing. Possibly move down to the DR for a year, gain citizenship, and then come back here to choose the best fit. Are there rules that don't allow this to happen? What kind of price tag would he get up to if anyone and everyone was able to make an offer?
Don't really know, but I am sure it would be in the Chapman area if not more. I think he and his parents made a wise decision going the route they did. The coach at the school is a family friend and his older brother is also a pitcher on the team. The school has also put him off limits to the media and fans for now.
Bryce Harper went deep today.
Not fair.
Domo Arigato, Here Comes Joey Votto
---TRF
"I do what I want to do and say what I want to say."
--Bronson Arroyo
Well the Pirates don't want Harper.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10031...id=pirates.xml
Later in the same articleGeneral manager Neal Huntington made a striking pronouncement on the 2010 draft yesterday by telling the PirateFest crowd that Bryce Harper, the Las Vegas catcher dubbed "Baseball's LeBron" by Sports Illustrated last June, is not currently among the Pirates' top 10. They pick second. "He's getting a lot of hype," Huntington said. "We will scout Bryce Harper. But we're not going to select him because somebody thinks he's the best prospect in the history of the game and we think he's the 10th-best."
.The Pirates' minor league system is a the middle of the pack, ranked 16th of 30 teams, according to Baseball America, the most recognized brand in this area. That is up two notches from last year and the ranking is the highest since being 11th in 2004. "We thought we'd be higher," Huntington said. "But McCutchen coming to the majors takes a big guy off our list." Also this week, ESPN's Keith Law ranked the Pirates 18th
Connect part 1 and part 2, make wise crack.
Last edited by klw; 01-31-2010 at 07:57 PM.
The first sentence, which I have partially bolded certainly appears to say he is not currently in their top 10. The second sentence is more about the hypothetical. But the 1st sentence reads that he is not in their top 10 unless the Pitssburgh paper is misquoting him.
General manager Neal Huntington made a striking pronouncement on the 2010 draft yesterday by telling the PirateFest crowd that Bryce Harper, the Las Vegas catcher dubbed "Baseball's LeBron" by Sports Illustrated last June, is not currently among the Pirates' top 10.
Last edited by klw; 01-31-2010 at 08:13 PM.
That writer is an idiot who either got the quote without context or took it out of context himself. I heard the entire statement. He didn't say that he wasn't in their top 10. He simply explained that if his scouts had him outside of it that they weren't going to draft him simply because everyone else loved him.
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