Bryce Harper: Realer Than "Real Deal" Holyfield?

Bryce Harper is doing exactly what he is supposed to be doing right now.  Killing it.  There were reports of him being cocky and having an attitude problem but it seems that he just has an arrogance about him that he has every right to have.  When you are the best and have been on the cover of Sports Illustrated before you can legally purchase a Playboy, then I would say you have a right to be arrogant.  When you back it up on the field, then I would say that you most definitely have every right to be arrogant.

Harpers CSN Coyotes are 38-10 this year with 5 of those losses coming at the hands of Western Nevada College.  Harper hasn’t missed a beat by heading to the Junior College as a 17 year old.  Even switching to a wooden bat hasn’t slowed down the thriving Harper.  He has also been spread around the field more too, playing not only catcher but center field and some infield.  Because of all of this he is expected to be taken number 1 overall in next month’s Major League Baseball draft.  Picking first again this year are the Washington Nationals and Ben Goessling from MASNsports.com reported two weeks ago that they plan on taking the 17 year old with their pick.

“Barring an injury or a drastic change, the Nationals will likely take 17-year-old catcher Bryce Harper with the first pick in the June Draft. According to a source familiar with the situation, they see Harper as being head and shoulders above anyone else in the 2010 draft class and believe he could reach the majors within 2 1/2 years.”

This will obviously be a dream come true for Harper and his family.  Although Harper is a diehard Yankees fan, he will have to settle into the red, white and blue of the Nationals uniform for at least a few years.  If he is as good as people are saying he will be, and as of now he has left no doubt about it, it is not unrealistic to think he will be in a Yankees uniform before his career is over.  We know how the Yankees love picking talent from other teams.  Think about Mark Teixeira or Alex Rodriguez.  What I don’t want to think about, and I’m sure the Nationals are with me on this one, is when they sit down for contract negotiations Scott Boras will be sitting with the Harpers.  Boras has been an “adviser” for the family while Bryce has been in school, both High School and College, so it stands to reason that he will be taking over the representation reigns for Bryce. 

The Nationals still may be getting over the headache from the Strasburg negotiations that netted the pitcher a then-record 4 year $15.1 million deal.  Based on what the Nationals coughed up for Strasburg and how basic baseball negotiations work, one would assume Harper can expect something closer to the $20 million range.  Also, unless he is losing a step or has developed a soul, Boras will squeeze the most he can from the organization and set a precedence like he has so many times before.

Based on Harpers numbers this year with only 1 more regular season game remaining it looks like he is the real deal and will be worth every penny.  Also we have to remember the kid is only 17 years old.  This means even if he spends 3 years (not likely at all) in the Minor League, he will still only be 20 years old when he gets called up to the Show.  Hopefully the Nationals can see that and will be willing to mortgage the farm on him.  I think he and Strasburg will prove to be the future of the organization. 

Below are Harpers number’s this year with only 1 game plus postseason remaining.