1st Pick - Washington Nationals - C/OF - Bryce Harper

1. Bryce Harper –

From Rob Nyer, in 2008, as a 15-yr. old: Harper has a power bat and a plus throwing arm that "already grades out to 70 on the 20 to 80 scouting scale," according to Dave Perkin of Baseball America. During infield prior to the game, Harper, in full gear, rifled the ball out of a crouch to second and third base with precision. Upon seeing him in action, I marked down "+ + arm" next to his name in my program. Although the rap on him is that he's not all that fast, I thought he ran very well from home to third on that triple, especially considering his age, size, and power. The kid is nothing if not impressive.



As a 16-year old, Harper hit .626 in 2009, with 14 home runs and 55 RBIs in 115 at-bats for the Wildcats this season. He hit 22 doubles, nine triples and stole 36 bases. He only struck out five times. He also scored nine times on wild pitches… from 2nd base.



5/09: played a three-game travel schedule… hit 11-12, with 10 HRs and one double

7/07 fr. www.projectprospect.com :Just a few weeks ago the 2010 draft looked solid but lacked a true star. Enter Bryce Harper. Harper told the Las Vegas Review Journal that he planned on getting his GED and has already enrolled at the College of Southern Nevada, a junior college with a strong baseball program. The Sports Illustrated cover boy will be the most hyped teenage sports star since LeBron James. With 80 raw power, a plus-plus arm, above-average speed and good defensive ability at the most difficult position on the diamond, the only thing holding Harper back might be the pressure living up to the hype.



Fr. www.espn.com: Harper's best asset as a hitter is his strength; not muscle or bulk but hand and wrist strength, so that when he makes contact the ball takes off with uncanny power for someone his age. He launches balls in batting practice out to right and right-center and can drive the ball easily to the left-center wall. He's still wiry but has plenty of room to fill out and eventually make his listed weight -- a heavy 205 pounds -- a reality. He loads with his hands well behind his back shoulder, so he nearly bars out his front arm, adding some length to the swing. But he strides into the ball and rotates his hips well with his swing and has good hand-eye coordination, so the result is a lot of contact and the big raw power for which he's become known. He's an above-average runner now and should settle in as at least average even if he fills out completely.



7-21: 2010 MLB Mock Draft - 2nd Edition - July 21, 2009 by Scouting The Sports - http://scoutingthesports.com/?p=3632 - 1. Washington Nationals - Bryce Harper: -Last year the Nationals got maybe the best prospect ever drafted in the Major Leagues in Stephen Strasburg. After again having the worst record in the MLB, they will be able to pick number one and will select one of the more touted hitting prospects of all time. Labeled “Baseball’s Chosen One” on the June 8 cover of Sports Illustrated, Harper, a 6-3 catcher who can also pitch in the 90s, hit .626 with 14 home runs and 55 RBI in only 115 at-bats this season for Las Vegas High School. Harper is also very good defensively, and very athletic stealing 36 bases last season. This guy is a once in a lifetime catcher that the Nationals will not be able to pass up.

8-1: from http://perfectgame.atinfopop.com: had the purest swing in the whole tourney with best power potential as well, reminds me of Joe Maurer with the Twins, Joe is more athletic however, Bryce displayed ML plus arm strength and know how behind the dish. If he truly is going to get his HS GED as publicized, he could be taken in the top 10 selections in 2010, or he could be #1 in 2011. Only thing that bothered me was the arm sleeve he wore around his elbow. Also pitched 1 inning and k'0d all three hitters, 93 fb tops. Right now he grades out great, 50 hitter, 60 power (to all fields), 40 runner now, 65 arm, 60 field.

8-17 from www.baseballamerica.com re: AFLAC games - Bryce Harper (Las Vegas HS), the 16-year-old catching phenom, was the marquee attraction at the Aflac game, and while he showed his premium defensive tools, his offensive performance was underwhelming. He grounded out twice and struck out three times, rifling his batting helmet into the dugout after his third whiff. Over the past several weeks, scouts have been whispering that Harper was off of his game. Those suspicions were validated in San Diego. He could not catch up to a decent fastball and was badly fooled by every curve, flailing and missing badly. Harper's swing, sound previously, has gone backwards. He is far too long on the back end, he is lunging and diving at pitches, and his timing is drastically inconsistent.

8-19: Jeff Sullivan from the AFLAC Games: - Although he had a disappointing game at the plate, Harper still showed why he is the number one talent in high school, and possibly, the number one talent in the 2010 draft. He went 0-5 with three strikeouts in the game, including getting completely fooled by Cameron Bedrosian, on a nasty breaking ball. During the week he showcased his power in batting practice and it is truly amazing what he can do with the bat. Harper also showed off his power arm from behind the dish, and even if he struggled in the game, he is still the number one prospect from the game.

9-5: from Jonathan Mayo’s 8-26 article on www.minors.mlbblogs.com: - The "big" name, the phenom who was on the cover of Sports Illustrated, the presumptive No. 1 pick for next year. A word of caution: A lot can happen between now and then. Not saying he's not good, just don't crown the guy just yet. At the AFLAC game, he showed bat speed and plus arm strength. There were some concerns with his approach at the plate, where he seems more focused on hitting long home runs and didn't make adjustments. His release on his throws was a little longer than it's been in the past. He still showed plenty of tools, but he didn't make in-game adjustments

9-7: From www.perfectgame.com on the AFLAC games: - had a bad day at the dish, which was bound to happen sooner or later. He rifled off some great throws and played solid defense. Don't be fooled by his lunging and missing other pitches he should of crushed, but he saw a different pitcher each at bat. For as much ink as this young man has had and with his tools he's still in the top 5 players on paper going in the 1st round, barring a total meltdown in 2010.

9-16: From www.baseballamerica.com : - College Top 25 draft prospects: #1: Bryce Harper, c CC of Southern Nevada

9-24: From: http://mlbresource.blogspot.com: Mock Draft Version 1 – #1 Bryce Harper, C, College of Southern Nevada

9/27 from: http://web.usabaseball.com: Bryce Harper and Manny Machado each drove in two runs in a seven-run third inning to lead the USA Baseball 18U National Team to a 14-0 run-rule shutout against Argentina Saturday in Day 2 of the COPABE "AAA" Pan American Championships at Daniel Canonico Stadium.

9-28: From http://mlbresource.blogspot.com: - Mock Draft Version 2 - Bryce Harper, C, College of Southern Nevada - Harper is as of right now the undisputed #1 pick. He is a five tool player and believe it or not is getting more attention than Stephen Strasburg. My only concern for Harper is expectations. If Harper is a solid major leaguer is that enough for Washington fans? I fully expect Harper to be an All-Star caliber player for many years but this is a ton of pressure on a kid that hasn't played at a higher level than high school.

9-30: From: http://web.usabaseball.com: - Karsten Whitson, Connor Mason and Kevin Gausman combined on a three-hitter, and an opportunistic offense took advantage of five errors as the USA Baseball 18U National Team remained unbeaten with a 19-0 run-rule shutout of Colombia Monday on Day 4 of the COPABE "AAA" Pan American Junior Championships at Daniel Canonico Stadium. Garin Cecchini made it a 3-0 game with an RBI double. The team then added four more runs in the second on Tony Wolters' two-run double and a two-run home run by Bryce Harper, a towering blast to right field. Team USA erupted for five runs in the fifth on two hits and two Columbia errors, with Brian Ragira's two-run double the big hit in the at bat. Wolters ended up with three RBIs. Harper, Cecchini, Ragira and Kavin Keyes had two apiece. Keyes also had three hits. Harper, Cecchini and Manny Machado each scored three runs.

10-1 from: www.baseballrumormill.com: - The COPABE "AAA" Pan American Championships began this past weekend and the 18-and-under squad from Team USA got off to a very hot 3-0 start with wins over Aruba, Argentia and Panama. Three stars stood out offensively for Team USA: Bryce Harper: The well publicized SI coverboy lived up to the hype in Game 2 against Argentina. Team USA crushed Argentina 14-0 and Harper had two doubles and two RBI.

10-5 from http://mlbbonusbaby.com: #1: Washington Nationals – Bryce Harper, C, CC of Southern Nevada – Harper’s not the best thing to ever happen to baseball, but he’s the frontrunner for this spot at the current moment. A big spring against more advanced competition will lock this spot up for him. He’s got some competition, but there’s no clear top talent behind him, so if the class is this muddy eight months from now, Harper’s going to go #1. (only catcher in first round)

10-5 from http://baseballdraftreport.com: - top 50 prospects in 2010 draft - C Bryce Harper (1st catcher on list)

10-6 from: http://baseballdraftreport.com: - C Bryce Harper - The Harper backlash has already begun in some corners of the internet, but I’m going to be oh so bold and stick with him as the top draft prospect heading into 2010.

10-13 from www.mymlbdraft.com: 2010 MLB Mock Draft - # 1 C Bryce Harper

10-19 from www.mlbresource.com: - Blake's Scouting Report - Bryce Harper has all the tools. He hits, hits for power, runs great, great arm, and plays outstanding defense. The only downfall which was hard to find is that Harper has struggled a bit against good pitching. It will be interesting to see his numbers this year at CSUN. Harper is also 93-95 off the mound but I doubt he ends up ever pitching. The 6'3 sweet swinging lefty has a chance to be a perennial All-Star and will immediately be a #1 prospect in whichever organization he joins.

10-24 from www.baseballrumormll.com: - top 10 prospects: - 1. Bryce Harper, C, College of Southern Nevada: The SI coverboy left high school after only his sophomore year so that he could enroll at a junior college and be eligible for the 2010 draft, instead of the 2011 draft. Harper brings all of the tools that teams want to see out of a draft prospect. He can hit for average and power, runs well, throws well and has great baseball acumen. The only question is whether he'll be a catcher as a professional.

10-24 from Jim Callis: Could Nationals go with Taillon or Ranaudo over Harper? - - Sure they could. I'll do a column on this at some point, but I don't think it's far-fetched to conceive of Bryce Harper falling out of the first round. It's going to be almost impossible to live up to the hype, and if he falls short and is looking for big money--is Strasburg's contract a starting point--he may scare off clubs, who know he can re-enter the 2011 and 2012 drafts and still have lots of leverage. It's also possible that after spending $15.1 million on Strasburg, the Nationals don't want to spend huge money on another No. 1 overall pick.

11-2 from www.perfectgame.com: - Future Scout Sully said: Here is my list of the Top 50 in the class. I have seen almost every one of these players. Went out to AFLAC for the week, saw team usa play, and went to many cape games: - 1- C Bryce Harper (1st catcher on list)

11-3 from www.mlbresource.com: 3rd Mock draft – 1. Bryce Harper, C - College of Southern Nevada - Nothing changes here. Harper is hands down the consensus to go #1 and unless the Nationals decide they can't financially, he is going in this spot. (1st catcher on list)

11-17 from www.mlbdraft.blogspot.com: - 1. Washington Nationals- Bryce Harper, C, CC of Southern Nevada - Although it is nearly impossible for Harper to live up to ALL the hype surrounding him, he is still the clear number one talent in the draft. Unless something catastrophic happens between now and June, Harper will be the first player taken in the draft. (1st catcher picked)

11-18 from www.macksmets.blogspot.com: - 5. C – Bryce Harper - I haven’t totally signed off on this kid yet. I live in a small town and watch kids kill bad pitching all the time. Harper won’t prove anything to me playing in the dinky league he’s scheduled to play in this year either. Good player against shity competition, but not worth Strassburg money… yet. (1st C on list)

11-20 from www.draftamerica.com: - 1. Washington -- Bryce Harper, C, Southern Nevada CC. Even with a "down" end of the summer, Harper is still the top talent in the draft. (only C on list)

11-23 from www.deepleagues.com: - #1 - Washington Nationals Bryce Harper (C, College of the Nevadas) (1st C on list)

12-15 from www.5tooltalk.com: Mock Draft – 1st round: - 1 Nationals Bryce Harper C NJCAA

1-7-9: Morisato's 2010 MLB Mock Draft - Version 1.0 - 1st Overall – The Washington Nationals - Bryce Harper (C), College Of Southern Nevada

Harper is the defacto top prospect here, and for the moment, will slot at the top of the draft. Harper is regarded to be the best young prep hitting prospect since Justin Upton back in 2005. He's been followed by prospect hounds every since he was around 14. Harper is not actually supposed to be eligible for this draft, but instead went to get his GED and enrolled in a junior college on the advice of his parents and his representative, making him eligible for next year. Anyhow, Harper is a massive kid that is regarded to be a future Gold Glover, has excellent power (he has hit the longest home run in Tropicana Field History) and has a quick, smooth swing that projects for solid contact. Overall, scouts feel he could have a Joe Mauer like impact in the majors, though that may be a bit optimistic in my opinion. However, it should be noted that unlike last year’s Number One overall, Harper isn’t a consensus number one. It’s very possible that if he struggles or if his price tag gets far too ridiculous, the Nationals could pass.

2010 MLB DRAFT MOCK DRAFT- 12/31/09 – www.jjscouting.com - 1. Washington Nationals- Bryce Harper, C, CC of Southern Nevada - Although it is nearly impossible for Harper to live up to ALL the hype surrounding him, he is still the clear number one talent in the draft. Unless something catastrophic happens between now and June, Harper will be the first player taken in the draft.



1-11-9 from http://baseballdraftreport.com: - 1.1 Washington Nationals: C Bryce Harper – College of Southern Nevada - Steven Strasburg is going first overall in this draft. Book it. One man by his lonesome may not be able to turn a baseball team’s on-field fortunes around, but it only takes one superstar to revive public interest in a moribund franchise. If nothing else, Strasburg has the kind of arm that makes every fifth day a must-see event. He’s got the oft-cited, but impossible to quantify “it”…wait, whoops. This was the intro to my first mock of 2009. Luckily it still works with a couple of easy tweaks. Let’s try it out… Bryce Harper is going first overall in this draft. Book it. Two men may not be able to turn a baseball team’s on-field fortunes around, but it only takes one superstar position player and one superstar starting pitcher to revive interest in a moribund franchise. Harper has such a head start on gaining the national media’s attention that he’ll be sure to draw fans ranging from obsessively devoted to insouciantly (ooo…all that SAT vocab studying from five years ago paid off!) indifferent to the ballpark, for curiosity’s sake if nothing else. Heck, I’d go. I realize I may be 100% crazy with this theory, but here goes nothing. The signing of Ivan Rodriguez is a strong data point indicating the Nationals already have made up their mind about the number one pick. Clearly the timeline doesn’t quite work out just right (nearly impossible Rodriguez is still be on the team by the time Harper joins), but it is possible somebody in the Washington front office thinks it would be swell if Harper could spend time with Rodriguez in his first spring training as a professional in 2011. Maybe I’m just trying too hard to wrap my head around the incomprehensible… Special power, special arm, above-average contact skills, above-average potential as a receiver, and average running speed. That’s Bryce Harper.



1-1-9 from www.draftsite.com: - #1 - Washington Bryce Harper C Las Vegas HS, Nv. 6'3" 205 L,R



1-15-0 from http://mlbbonusbaby.com: - 1. Washington Nationals – Bryce Harper, C, CC of Southern Nevada – I’ve seen a couple of inferences that Harper has somehow fallen off from the number one slot, most recently here by BP’s Kevin Goldstein. I just don’t see it happening. Harper’s got the best tools for stardom by a landslide in this class, and the money shouldn’t be an issue too big to overcome. He’s going to mash as a 17 year-old JUCO player this spring, and the doubters will be silenced. Previously: #1.



3-12 from: - From: coachdave2@cox.net - I have seen Bryce play....and we have actually faced him many times. To be honest with you, I have seen many players a lot better than him in HS ball. Don't get me wrong, he has a truckload of talent, but I believe Boras is milking him to the draft. I have not seen the others on the list but I think he is not as good as they picture him. He has a great arm and above average speed but the numbers he put up are not the clear indicator as the pitching in our division was not the best and he got the benefit of a very small strike zone. I put a shift on him during the regular season and he tried to bunt unsuccessfully. He is a question mark with lots to prove. I personally do not believe that he should be the top pick in the draft and more of a 5-8 pick. What he has going for him is his age.....with lots of time to develop and he plays in a very good program...CSN...walking distance from my house and a field we use for many of our games.

3-24 from http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100322&content_id=8867302&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb - Truth be told, he has been. Harper has hit .420 with eight homers, 27 RBIs, an .864 slugging percentage and a .514 on-base percentage in 27 games. He leads or is tied for the team lead in nine offensive categories. He is doing, as one scout put it, exactly what was expected of him. Living up to that kind of hype might sound extraordinary, but to Harper, off the field has been a bigger challenge than on

4-6 from Jason Churchill/ http://www.baseballrumormill.com/2010/04/a-preliminary-top-5-mock-draft/#more – mock draft picks 1-5: - 1) Washington Nationals - Bryce Harper, College of Southern Nevada, C: At 17, Harper's talents are too good to pass up as he continues to crush the pitching in the Scenic West Athletic Conference, with a wood bat, to boot.

4-14 from: - http://web.goldenspikesaward.com/index.html?page=news_archive&article_id=65 - But, after going 5-for-13 with three home runs in Southern Nevada's four-game sweep of JC of Southern Idaho this weekend, Harper is hitting .422/.516/.891 with 15 home runs and 42 RBIs in 128 at-bats. He has already breezed past the single-season school record for home runs [12, by Joe Wagner, with metal bats in 2001]. He has 54 hits -- 29 of them for extra bases.



4-16 from: - http://projectprospect.com/article/2010/04/15/2010-draft-class-update - Any discussion of the 2010 MLB draft begins with Bryce Harper. Harper is currently hitting .422/.516/.891 with 15 jacks in 155 plate appearances. Harper’s swing mechanics lead some to wonder about his ability to hit for a high average. The 17-year-old has struck out in 16.1% of his trips to the plate, while walking exactly as often. Considering that he's at least two years younger than virtually all his competitors and that he’s playing in a wooden bat league, Harper’s production is extremely impressive. There are also questions about his ultimate defensive home. Harper has spent the majority of his time catching for the College of Southern Nevada but has also seen action at third base, right field and even patrolled center field. Sometimes knocked for his size, Harper has shown terrific athleticism, swiping 12 bases in 14 attempts, and he can kill a yak from 200 yards away with mind bullets. Some have theorized that Harper, a Scott Boras advisee, could slide on Draft Day due to signability. But why would a kid get his GED and attend Junior College in order to be eligible for the draft a year early, if he didn’t intend on signing? The Nationals were able to come to an agreement with Strasburg last year. Harper may not get as much as Strasburg given the extra developmental time needed and the historic risk of young catchers. Mike Rizzo always seems to take the best player available. As things stand right now, I would be very surprised if Harper doesn’t end up in our nation’s capital.

4-26 from: - http://baseballdraftreport.com - This should not be underrated. It’s impossible to find any talent evaluator who isn’t blown away by Harper’s ability on the field, but it’s equally difficult to find one who doesn’t genuinely dislike the kid. One scout called him among the worst amateur players he’s ever seen from a makeup standpoint, with top-of-the-scale arrogance, a disturbingly large sense of entitlement, and on-field behavior that includes taunting opponents. “He’s just a bad, bad guy,” said one front-office official. “He’s basically the anti-Joe Mauer.” How this plays into the negotiation or future evaluation is yet to be determined, as history has shown us that the bigger talent a player is, the more makeup issues teams will deal with. Bench players can’t afford to be problems, but plenty of teams happily put up with difficult superstars.



5-14 from: - http://baseballdraftreport.com – top 30 college catchers: - 1. Community College of Southern Nevada FR C Bryce Harper - .417/.509/.917. With wood. At 17 years old. Even BB/K ratio. 42 extra base hits. No discernable platoon split. I’m only now starting to come around to the idea that moving him off of catcher may give him the best chance to unlock all of the professional potential he has with the bat, but, man, I really do love his defensive tools behind the plate. That’s honestly my biggest question with him right now – will he wind up a great hitting catcher or a really great hitting right fielder? With that as the biggest question about his future, there’s no wonder he’s atop this particular list. Bryce Harper is good.

5-24 from: - http://bleacherreport.com/tb/b4fLk - Bryce Harper, who the Nationals are thought to be targeting with their No. 1 pick this June, hit for the cycle on Friday in the semifinals of the NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) World Series. On Saturday he outdid himself, finishing 6-for-6 with 10 RBI and four home runs as the College of Southern Nevada advanced to the NJCAA World Series final. Harper, a 17-year-old catcher, continues to amaze at the plate and is one of the most intriguing position players to ever enter the MLB draft.

5-25 from: - http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com/2010/5/25/1486642/top-5-by-position-catchers#storyjump - Do I even need to write anything about Bryce Harper? It seems I do. Harper offers two of the most coveted "tools" in all of the draft class. He can hit for power better than anyone and his arm strength is as good as or better than anyone in this class, as well. Those two tools alone make him worthy of the top overall selection in the draft. However, he’s an average runner and above-average hitter for average, making him an all-around threat in every aspect of his game. The lone question in his game now is where his long-term defensive position lies. He’s improving steadily as a catcher, but as with the great Joe Mauer, there are going to be questions about moving him off the position simply to lengthen the effectiveness of his career. He could easily play right field well, and he has experience at third base, but it’s obvious that his overall value is boosted by his position behind the plate. He’s expected to go first overall to the Nationals, but don’t expect to see him signing a contract until the signing deadline near midnight on August 16.