Bryce Harper Introduced by the Nationals

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The Washington Nationals held a news conference on Thursday afternoon to announce the signing of Bryce Harper. He was the first selection in the 2010 MLB Draft after an outstanding year at the College of Southern Nevada where he smashed the record books. As a high school freshman, he hit .599 batting average with 11 home runs and 67 RBIs in 38 games. He improved on that campaign in his sophomore season when he had .626 batting average, 14 home runs and 55 RBIs. After the season, Sports Illustrated labeled him as the “Chosen One” as he appeared on the cover of the magazine. They also called him the “Lebron James of Baseball.” He made an unorthodox move after his sophomore season as he got his GED and decided to head to junior college at the College of Southern Nevada. He continued to dominate at that level as he made the transition to the wood bat league hitting .442 with 29 home runs and 89 RBIs. In the first game of the NJCAA World Series, Harper hit for the cycle while going 6-for-7. The next day, he went 2-for-5 in the first game of a doubleheader and 6-for-6 with four home runs in the nightcap.

 

General Manager Mike Rizzo is excited about the signing saying:

"We throw a lot of accolades, descriptions and comparisons all the time," Rizzo said. "I think he is going to be a fine player. He has the athleticism and the other skills to play the outfield. He was drafted to be in the middle of the lineup. He is a very educated player, has high baseball IQ and knows the game very well. We feel we have an player that is an impact player."

The early predictions for Harper is to see him in the Major Leagues within two years but Harper stated the following about the prediction:

"I don’t know right now. I just know that Mike Rizzo and [manager] Jim Riggleman and all of them will take care all of that. I’ll just go out and play and let them make those decisions."

The Nationals will also change Harper’s position from catcher to right field as it will extend his career. Harper said the following about the change of position:

"I grew up playing the outfield. I grew up playing right and center," Harper said. "I played a couple of games out of the weekend. My dad played the outfield. He knows a lot of things out there."

You can check out a full article from MLB.com by clicking here.