Yup; very overrated. Sarcasm. Photo: Sports Illustrated
Prior to the season, MLB’s players were polled and our own Bryce Harper was voted “most overrated.” Over Yasiel Puig, for the second year in a row, that both players were listed 1-2.
You know what I think? I think that vote should actually be called, “Players you’re most jealous of because they’re incredibly good and accomplished at a young age.” It isn’t Harper’s fault that he was asked to be on the cover of SI at the age of 16. And it isn’t Puig’s fault that he’s burst onto the scene and has posted a career OPS+ of 150 (!! even I didn’t know it was that high) so far at the age of 24.
After yesterday’s 3-homer show and especially after his performance last post-season, under the hottest lights and against the best of the best, does anyone still think Harper’s over-rated? How many guys are there in the league with that kind of power who also have his defensive capabilities? Not too many. I’m not sure what Harper has to do to “earn” the respect of his peers .. maybe its just as simple as putting together a full season w/o injury to see what kind of numbers you can put up in 150 games or so.
I was at that game yesterday–MAN that was fun!
I thought going into this season that it was a key year for both Harper and Strasburg if they were ever going to live up to the ridiculous hype that accompanied their entrance into the league. In the past both have had some incredible individual performances, but their accomplishments have always had a “but that’s the LEAST anyone supposedly that good ought to be able to do” qualifier to them. With Stras entering his prime years and Harper now having enough experience to know what his limitations are this seemed like a key year for both to finally prove they’re among the absolute best.
So far so good for Harper, while Strasburg unfortunately appears to be regressing. It’s a shame in the latter case as I’ve never been one to secretly root for these guys to fail just because of the press they received before they ever accomplished anything in the big leagues. I wanted them both to be all time greats. Oh well, I guess we may have to settle for one out of two.
Karl Kolchack
7 May 15 at 12:44 pm
Anyone who cares about the future of baseball should be pulling for guys like Harper and Puig to reach their potential. Baseball needs stars with flair. Kids aren’t growing up wanting to be Goldschmidt or Freeman; in fact, most of the country has no idea who Goldschmidt it.
I happen to think that Bryce has a higher magnitude of potential than Puig. His focus on plate discipline shows an advanced level of understanding of what it is going to take to get to the “next level.” And for any of the HTTRs who think he’s just a hot dog, cue up the tape of his fourth AB, the one where he sacrificed the chance at glory to just do what it took to get the run home.
Boz keeps comparing Harper to Reggie Jackson. Style-wise, it fits. If Bryce keeps evolving in his plate discipline, though, he has a chance to be better.
KW
7 May 15 at 12:52 pm
Oops, most of the country has no idea who Goldschmidt “is.” That’s nothing against him at all. But kids want to be Harper.
KW
7 May 15 at 2:16 pm
KW – yep, in that 4th at bat he swung for the fences on the second pitch, but once he was down 0-2 in the count he did what was best for the team.
BTW – the player Harper is starting to remind me of is Frank Thomas, who had incredible plate discipline right from the start and walked 138 times in his sophomore season. Of course Thomas did not MAKE the majors until he was the same age Harper is now.
Karl Kolchack
7 May 15 at 4:32 pm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2015/05/07/even-before-three-home-run-day-bryce-harper-was-a-better-hitter/
In other news, Reynaldo Lopez pitched five scoreless innings in his 2015 debut with Potomac yesterday, giving up only two singles and hitting 98(!) on the gun. Giolito pitches tonight.
KW
8 May 15 at 7:28 am
He’s overhyped, but that’s not his fault. His words are taken out of context, but that’s not his fault. He is a lightning rod, which sometimes is his fault.
He is still very young. At 22.6 years old, he is younger than deGrom, Bryant, Meeks, and every other hot, young, flavor-of-the-month newbie to the Show that has yet to prove to the world what Bryce has already proven in his prior years here. Did I mention that prior to when he came up, Bryce played (and planned out in his mind) his entire career as a Catcher?!?! That he has learned to play CF, LF, and now RF without years in the minors to hone those skills? And he already is better defensively than a lot of guys who have?
Hard to call that overrated. Hitting 3 HR in a game is noteworthy, but it doesn’t suddenly legitimize him, it just further validates what has been true all along: he is a vastly talented but very young superstar, who because of his talent, and his youth, is under a microscope like no other player his age has ever seen. And under that level of scrutiny, every wart looks like a cantaloupe.
ehay2k
8 May 15 at 7:33 am
Harper’s OPS is now 1053.
KW
8 May 15 at 9:54 pm
Harper heat map & discussion:
http://espn.go.com/blog/statsinfo/post/_/id/105480/harper-dominating-especially-the-outside-pitch
KW
9 May 15 at 6:49 am