Will Bryce Harper be the next Joe Mauer or the next Matt Bush?

[RKKay]

Bryce Harper is 16 years old and is expected to be drafted number one overall by the time he is 18. What is your prediction? Will he be a superstar? Will he be average? Will he be a bust?

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vau...6215/index.htm

[Honus Wagner Rules]

At the point no one has anyway of knowing how good Harper will turn out.

[SamtheBravesFan]

At the point no one has anyway of knowing how Harper will turn out.

I was thinking of posting that myself, but you beat me to the punch.

It's probably best to wait until his second year in the big leagues to make a prediction (that is, if he gets there at all).

[Honus Wagner Rules]

I was thinking of posting that myself, but you beat me to the punch.

It's probably best to wait until his second year in the big leagues to make a prediction (that is, if he gets there at all).

Yeah, I was t hinking of all those 16-year old latin players that are signed. There is no wany of knowing who is going to be Andres Gallaraga and who is going to be Willie Mo Pena.

[ol' aches and pains]

My wife's cousin's kid is 11, and is tearing up the Little League in Upstate NY. What are his chances for the Hall of Fame, d'ya think?

[RKKay]

My wife's cousin's kid is 11, and is tearing up the Little League in Upstate NY. What are his chances for the Hall of Fame, d'ya think?

50-50 is my guess.

[rockin500]

Bryce Harper is 16 years old and is expected to be drafted number one overall by the time he is 18. What is your prediction? Will he be a superstar? Will he be average? Will he be a bust?

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vau...6215/index.htm

dude, lets wait awhile. prospects are ALWAYS a crapshoot. at best. all sports are that way, though hockey seems to be a bit less of one than the other 3 major sports. and baseball is probably the most difficult to project. Wait until he is 20, alright? then you can at least start the process of it.

[RKKay]

dude, lets wait awhile. prospects are ALWAYS a crapshoot. at best. all sports are that way, though hockey seems to be a bit less of one than the other 3 major sports. and baseball is probably the most difficult to project. Wait until he is 20, alright? then you can at least start the process of it.

Of course it is speculative. Countless factors could come into play which would have an impact on whether or not he even makes it to the majors. However, it is a very intriguing topic, and it is not unheard of to speak this way of a prospect. People were speaking of Steven Strasburg this way last year, and people spoke the same way of ARod when he was Bryce's age.

[SamtheBravesFan]

50-50 is my guess.

Haha, good one.

[SamtheBravesFan]

Of course it is speculative. Countless factors could come into play which would have an impact on whether or not he even makes it to the majors. However, it is a very intriguing topic, and it is not unheard of to speak this way of a prospect. People were speaking of Steven Strasburg this way last year, and people spoke the same way of ARod when he was Bryce's age.

That doesn't make it any less speculative. But if you have to, it's better when you have a base of pro accomplishments to speculate on.

[Richard]

There is only one Joe Mauer.

[RKKay]

That doesn't make it any less speculative. But if you have to, it's better when you have a base of pro accomplishments to speculate on.

True

There is only one Joe Mauer.

NOT True

http://www.whitepages.com/search/Fin...e=mauer&where=

[Bulldog19]

That doesn't make it any less speculative. But if you have to, it's better when you have a base of pro accomplishments to speculate on.

Especially considering there's a pretty big difference between swining aluminum and swinging wood..

[SamtheBravesFan]

Especially considering there's a pretty big difference between swining aluminum and swinging wood..

Exactly. If Harper is destined for the pros, he'll make the transition.

[Honus Wagner Rules]

If it were not for the Harper Sports Illustrated article would we even have this thread? The S.F. Giants signed this 16-year old Dominican kid named Rafael Rodriguez to a record contract. He's got big time raw talent. He's 6'5", 200 lbs. He's being compared to a young Dave Winfield (hyperbole IMO). He played in the Arizona Summer League in '09. I thought for sure he'd be the typical Dominican youngster with zero plate disciple (horrible BB/K rate). But to my surprise, and to many scouts' surprise as well, he drew a fair amount of walks and held his own as a 16 year old (hit .269 with a .392 OBP with 16 BB/23 Ks in 148 PAs). But, he's still a long ways from the majors and Harper is further away than Rodriguez is.

[TonyStarks]

It's way to soon to tell.

[babaganoosh]

True

There is only one Joe Mauer.

NOT True

http://www.whitepages.com/search/Fin...e=mauer&where=

Lol...that's just awesome

[Captain Cold Nose]

Lol...that's just awesome

I laughed.

I'm expecting Harper to be something special. I'll wait and see, of course.

[sturg1dj]

the difference between Harper and Bush is that when Bush was taken he was a safer cheaper pick and not a sure #1. Although I hear Harper's stock may have dropped a bit, I would say he is seen to have more upside than Bush did.

[Tampa Bay Giants]

Especially considering there's a pretty big difference between swining aluminum and swinging wood..

That and trying to hit a 98 mph fastball and a Splitter that looks like it falls off the edge of the table.

[dominik]

I think Harper did hit well with wood in the showcase.
That will not be the problem, as he has brutal power and a solid swing.

The bigger question is how he hits good itching, since he only hit HS pitching which many guys hit well.

Let's wait till he gets to the majors. If he can dominate A ball he can be considered a real threat and maybe future superstar. The physical parameters are there, he is an amazing athlete already.

On the other hand if he struggles there(for more than one season or so) there would be serious doubts about him.

I think he has all tools for being a top prospect, but baseball is harder to predict than say basketball, because it's not so much physical than technical.

[Honus Wagner Rules]

I think Harper did hit well with wood in the showcase.
That will not be the problem, as he has brutal power and a solid swing.

The bigger question is how he hits good itching, since he only hit HS pitching which many guys hit well.

Let's wait till he gets to the majors. If he can dominate A ball he can be considered a real threat and maybe future superstar. The physical parameters are there, he is an amazing athlete already.

On the other hand if he struggles there(for more than one season or so) there would be serious doubts about him.

I think he has all tools for being a top prospect, but baseball is harder to predict than say basketball, because it's not so much physical than technical.

I would wait until he is the upper minors and faces better pitching. Harper is a boy in a man's body already. He can dominate the lower levels just on physical ability. We shall see if he can hit good off-speed pitches. Delmon Young was another boy in a man's body. He dominated at every level in the minors. Yet he had poor walk rates in the minors but most scouts ignored this. He finally got exposed in the majors.

[Philly-brownsfan]

Bryce Harper is 16 years old and is expected to be drafted number one overall by the time he is 18. What is your prediction? Will he be a superstar? Will he be average? Will he be a bust?

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vau...6215/index.htm

According to Baseball America Harper is supposed to skip his remaing two years of high school, take his GED and then enroll at a Jr. College (I believe in Las Vegas).
In June after one year in Junior College, where he will be a 17 year old playing against 19 year olds he could be drafted as high as #1 overall.

It's a very intriguing and unusual story.

[RationalNYYfan]

It seems like every rising star in the majors is exactly that for a year, maybe two. Then once other teams get sufficient scouting reports on the players, they cool down.

Look at Clay Buchholz and Joba Chamberlain. Wouldn't be surprised if the same thing happens with Lincecum.

[Honus Wagner Rules]

According to Baseball America Harper is supposed to skip his remaing two years of high school, take his GED and then enroll at a Jr. College (I believe in Las Vegas).
In June after one year in Junior College, where he will be a 17 year old playing against 19 year olds he could be drafted as high as #1 overall.

It's a very intriguing and unusual story.

By the time he is drafted in June 2010 Harper won't be that young historically for the draft. Just in recent drafts several players were younger than Harper will be on draft day 2010. One example is Matt Cain. But we are talking months or even weeks or days here. Not a big deal.