Bryce Harper has arrived. The highly touted Washington Nationals prospect and phenom finally made his MLB debut against the Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend.
He has been followed since he was 15 years old. He was on the cover of Sports Illustrated when he was 16. He was named “Baseball’s LeBron” on the cover of that issue. All of these have been leading up to his debut on Saturday. Did he go 4-for-4 with four home runs? No. Did he have an impact on the game? Yes. He drove in a run with a sac fly late in the game, he had his first hit of his career (a double to center) and he almost nailed a runner at home on a perfect strike. The kid is the real deal.
In his second game, he made a spectacular catch against the wall in center field and almost turned it into a double play at first with another great throw. He added another hit to his resume, and he is drawing more buzz to the Nats. The Nationals are tied for first in the NL East, and the young talent the Nats have been drafting over the years are the reason. Now, with Bryce Harper’s call up, the Nationals look to continue that success. Yes, Ryan Zimmermann is on the DL, and when he comes back, who knows if Harper will stay on the roster. For now, though, the Nationals look to draw big crowds and look to add to their win total early on.
Fantasy impact: Harper has been picked up in 77.2 percent of leagues on ESPN, and is owned in 84.7 overall. If he still is available in your league, grab him now. He will produce while he is up, so move quickly and get him on your roster. Even if he gets sent down, hold on to him. He is an amazing player with other-wordly talent. I think if he stays the rest of the season, he should be around the 15-20 home run mark with around 60-70 runs batted in. If he gets sent down, then the numbers will clearly drop, but he’s still a player worth having on your roster. Especially in keeper leagues.
The catcher turned outfielder has been turning heads for awhile and will continue to do so. Especially when he hits one of his Ruthian-type shots. I’m excited and can’t wait.
