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Its a BIG step down the defensive spectrum from C to RF. 3B might have been their next logical stop for him, but that position is blocked in DC by maybe the best 3B in the majors. You'd avoid 2B for many of the same reasons as C, but it still seems like a waste for him to be plugged into RF.
You think he'll go from Hagerstown straight to Harrisburg or make a brief stop in Potomac? Potomac will be pissed if they are skipped. And, more importantly, I'll be pissed. I guess Hagerstown isn't too far a drive.
I assume a brief stop in Potomac. And I'll be out there with you to see him, after dropping the wife off at Potomac Mills. Of course I also assumed he'd be starting there and didn't even consider they'd opt for Low-A, so what the heck do I know.
Really impressive thus far. Seems like he's doing fairly well in the field too. Think I need to accelerate my expectations on his arrival to sometime in 2012.
I think he'll definitely be up in 2012. At the very least, I think he will get a cup of coffee that September, with an outside shot of him coming up in June.
He actually started out pretty slowly until he got his contacts fixed, and has been killing it since then. So those numbers actually include an opening week of poor production. I'd be really surprised if he's not up around next summer assuming he doesn't collapse. Zimmerman's deal is up in 2013, and he's been pretty clear that he'd like to stay but he'll leave if he doesn't think the club is nearing contention. They'll do everything they can to put a solid, encouraging lineup out there for him to enjoy before he enters his FA year.
That's what I hear, too. I've read some reports of him missing his cutoff man a couple times (cost them a game once, I believe), but I'm guessing that's not all that rare. He's apparently shown great athleticism in the field, running down balls all over the place. And, he's shown off his strong arm on several occasions (probably leading to missing the cutoff man a couple times).
If as scouted he has a true 80 arm, I have to imagine some refining is necessary to not overthrow everything.
Crossing my fingers that he'll be in AA Harrisburg by July 14th. Bryce Harper and the Cowboy Monkeys. Couldn't possibly get much better than that.
That would be an extremely aggressive promotion. Give the kid some time. Let him ride some buses. 100 PAs is nothing.Crossing my fingers that he'll be in AA Harrisburg by July 14th. Bryce Harper and the Cowboy Monkeys. Couldn't possibly get much better than that.
That seems right to me, and although I'm kinda embarrassed to admit it I'm following the kid and what the Nats say about him as closely as anyone.I think the timeline is an MLB callup next June at the earliest, and by the end of next season unless he stalls or regresses. That means high-A in a month or so and AA for only the last month or two of this season, then AA or AAA out of spring training next year.That would be an extremely aggressive promotion. Give the kid some time. Let him ride some buses. 100 PAs is nothing.Crossing my fingers that he'll be in AA Harrisburg by July 14th. Bryce Harper and the Cowboy Monkeys. Couldn't possibly get much better than that.
Now 4 for 5 with 5 RBI. Seriously, make the move Rizzo (it's his decision, right?).
Seriously.. low A? Are they even aware that they have a high A affiliate?
Well, there's the obvious age difference between Harper and Strasburg. They started Strasburg off at AA because they were supremely confident he was ready for it. For whatever reason, they seemed to have some doubts about Harper and want him to prove himself at every level before reaching DC. Of course, he's clearly met every challenge so far (college, AFL, Spring Training, and now low A).There's also the issue of wanting to limit Strasburg's outings but maximize Harper's. Putting Harper up at a level that may take more adjustment could affect the development of other players who they also want to give a ton of ABs. They have to have guys ready to move around at every level to make room for Harper. With Ankiel on the DL and Bernadina moved up, I would have thought that would start a chain reaction of promotions to make room for Harper.One other thing we keep hearing about is the "We want him to ride the bus" talk. I'm possibly totally crazy, but I think Harper is probably one of the Nats 6 best OFs throughout their whole system right now and is, in a way, deserving of a spot on the big club. But, I think they kind of worry about him not paying his dues and going through what everyone else went through. They worry about what such a promotion would do to the attitude of an 18-year old. In a way, I think they're trying to test his character.
There's been no indication of that other than some missed cutoff men as mentioned earlier. And really, I don't see that as a reason to not promote him to high A. If he has defensive issues in Hagerstown, he can work on them in Potomac.
I'm fine with that, as long as he's still down in Potomac on July 9th (series in Lynchburg).Crossing my fingers that he'll be in AA Harrisburg by July 14th. Bryce Harper and the Cowboy Monkeys. Couldn't possibly get much better than that.
I agree with the bolded and will be good for him long term.
Found this in the comments: His slash numbers since he got his contacts fixed after the first week of the season are .467/.549/.867.
Not to make excuses, but there's got to be a story there with that pitcher, right?
Agreed. Although the Nats would probably advise Potomac management to fix their field.I think skipping Potomac makes sense at this point though. My expectation has been that he'd spend a significant amount of time at AA this year so he can (hopefully) start next year at AAA. It has been a bit surprising that they have not moved him to Potomac yet, but if they are planning to skip Potomac entirely, that would definitely explain why.
They weren't happy that they missed out on Strasburg. If they miss out on Harper, too, they'll be extra pissed.
Another thing that's different about Potomac, other than the field sucking, is that it's really close to DC and the other teams are not. It's like maybe 15 miles out of town, definitely within the metro area. If a Harper or a Strasburg was there they'd draw a ton of attention from local fans. That's obviously great for Potomac but the organization might not think it's all that great for the prospects. No idea is that's a factor, just another thing that's a significant difference between Potomac and the rest of the system.
I'll venture a guess and say Harrisburg AA
Yep. He was just starting to come around in AA before his injury. As long as he does well in the AFL and Spring Training, I think the hope is he starts in Harrisburg and moves up to Syracuse fairly quickly with a shot at DC late in the season.
I really don't know the history of the league's FA rules. Did Griffey have Super Two rules? That's the main reason the Nats will hold Harper back until at least June. I mean, I think they honestly want him to prove himself at each level and to mature as a person, but I think they know he's deserving of an opening day roster spot and $ is the main reason they'll wait. They did the same thing with Strasburg.
Wow, that's a lot of HRs!!!
