Is Bryce Harper a generational talent?

by jesse.burkhart on Nov 13, 2009 11:35 AM PST Comment 4 comments

We all know Bryce Harper's name, and the hype machine is cranked up to full blast.

In a Sports Illustrated feature story on Harper, Tom Verducci wrote, "Still only 16, Harper stands 6'3", weighs 205 pounds, has faster bat speed than Mark McGwire in his prime and runs so fast that he scored on wild pitches six times this season from second base. As a catcher he picks off runners from his knees, and when he pitches, he throws a fastball that has been clocked at 96 mph."

One National League scouting director was quoted in Verducci's story on Harper, saying, "(Harper) is a once-in-a-generation talent."

Is Harper that good? He very well could be. But are the expectations that he become a generational player reasonable? Certainly not.

Poll

What chance do you give Bryce Harper of being a "once-in-a-generation" player?

A very good chance

9 votes

A moderate chance

49 votes

A slight chance

93 votes

No chance

14 votes

I don't know

18 votes

183 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

Nice post.

I would like to hear what people have to say about this.

Webmaster of Driveline Mechanics
http://www.drivelinemechanics.com - An Unconventional Look at Scouting

by Kyle Boddy on Nov 13, 2009 3:09 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Thanks, Kyle.

There appears to be a full-blown discussion going on at Minor League Ball. If anyone has thoughts, I’ll be happy to respond here, there, or on my site.

http://www.examiner.com/x-28775-MLB-Draft-Examiner
twitter | jesseburkhart
AIM | jb02186

by jesse.burkhart on Nov 13, 2009 3:56 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

The repeated quotation of Bryce Harper’s bat speed in MPH is misleading: The most important aspect of a batter’s swing is how long it takes him to swing, something that isn’t just a MPH measurement. The oft-quoted retort to a bat speed measurement is that Albert Pujols’s bat speed is only 87 MPH, yet he’s the best hitter in the game because he has a very fast swing and excellent strike zone judgement, two things we have almost no meaningful information about on Harper. The jury is out until we have more information, so I give him a slight chance, the same (or maybe slightly better) chance as any hyped upcoming player has.

"Of course Kolby Rasmus was going deep! That’s what Kolby Rasmus does! You don’t give Kolby Rasmus second chances!" -Kolby Rasmus

by hazel on Nov 13, 2009 7:21 PM PST reply actions 0 recs