Bryce Harper No.1 On Baseball America's Top 10 Washington Nationals' Prospects List.
• Update: 11/11 - Bryce Harper was 2 for 3 with an RBI double and a single in the Scottsdale Scorpions' 3-2 win over the Phoenix Desert Dogs on Friday afternoon. Harper's first hit of the game extended his current hit streak to 16-straight games.
Bryce Harper was the no.1 prospect on Baseball America's Aaron Fitt's list of the Washington Nationals Top 10 Prospects for the second-straight season. The left-handed hitting slugger is also listed as the "Best Power Hitter" in the organization with the "Best Outfield Arm", though 2011 1st Round pick 3B Anthony Rendon replaces Harper as the "Best Hitter for Average" in the organization. Rendon's yet to play a game as a pro, however. Harper, 19, finished his first pro season with a .297/.392/.501 slash, 24 doubles and 17 HR's. In his second stint in the Arizona Fall League, the preternaturally-gifted hitter has a .308/.375/.615 line with four doubles and six HR's, five of them in his last ten games.
In an interview on MLB Network Radio Wednesday afternoon, D.C. GM Mike Rizzo was asked to provide an update on Harper's development and work in the Arizona Fall League. "He was terrific out there," Rizzo said, "I was out there for five games and I happened to catch him when he was actually on fire which was really exciting to see. I look at a guy who's got power potential, has the ability to put the bat on the ball consistently, he has the uncanny ability to swing and create extreme bat speed and still keep the bat through the hitting zone for a long, long time and is very, very balanced. So, it's kind of a unique hitting style and situation."
"He's got great power," the Nats' general manager continued, "The thing I like [is] he's really come a long way in the outfield, left field and right field, he plays both. He's improving dramatically. I saw him backing up bases instinctually and not having to really think about it, so he's come a long way in that. His base running has improved a lot, he's a very aggressive base stealer, as you know, but learning to take things when they're given to him. Go first to third, second to home, and that type of thing. So he's working on the nuances of the game. We all see the great power that he has, the ability to hit, but he's really working on the small intricate things that make you a major league player."
The "small intricate things" or the, "... secrets of baseball that everyone needs to know," as Bryce Harper described them on the MLB Network during the recent AFL Rising Stars game. "He's coming fast, and there's no telling where this guy is going to end up," Mike Rizzo told the MLB Network Radio hosts, "He's a 19-year-old player, but he's extremely talented, but we're going to let him go at his own pace." The Nats' GM says that the young slugger has a high baseball IQ, "His baseball acumen is off the charts. With the exposure and the attention he gets at every stop that he makes, I think he's handled himself as well as I can expect him to handle it."
Harper was joined on Baseball America's Top 10 list by four members of the Nats' 2011 Draft class. Anthony Rendon, the no.6 overall pick this past June, is ranked second overall, the top infielder in the system before he's played a professional game. Brian Goodwin, the 34th pick of the Draft, is the second-highest-ranked outfielder behind Harper, 5th overall in the organization in Baseball America's estimation. U of K right-hander Alex Meyer, taken with the 23rd pick, finished 6th on BA's list. 3rd Round pick Matt Purke was the top-ranked left-hander, 7th overall.
Sammy Solis, the Nationals' 2010 2nd Round pick, follows Purke in the 8th spot. D.C. GM Mike Rizzo identified the 23-year-old left-hander a "sleeper" prospect in the MLB Network Radio interview. In his second stint in the AFL, Solis has a (1-1) record with a 4.50 ERA in 7 games and 26.0 IP for the Scottsdale Scorpions in which he's given up 29 hits, 15 runs, 13 earned and 16 walks while recording 25 K's. "Sam Solis is a guy that's got power stuff from the left side as a pitcher," Rizzo said, "He was 93-96, he's got a plus changeup. We're revamping, taking him from a spiked curve ball, which he had trouble commanding to a more traditional curve ball, and if that becomes a useable pitch for him, this guy could go quickly, and take off and be a real factor for us in the very near future."
• Check out the entire Baseball America 2012 Top 10 Prospects List HERE.
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It's amazing how much the past two drafts have shaped this team.
"I was a victim of a series of accidents. As are we all."
---Malachi Constant
by The Herndon Kid on Nov 12, 2011 11:25 AM EST via mobile reply actions
fingers crossed
You guys. You lollygag the ball around the infield. You lollygag your way down to first. You lollygag in and out of the dugout. You know what that makes you? Larry!
It's also saying something about the pre-Rizzo era
Note the total absence of Chris Marrero, Eurys Perez, et al., from the list…
Brain: "Pinky, are you pondering what i'm pondering?"
Pinky: "Yes, ... wait, ... no, ... never mind"
Hooray! A post about baseball
I <3 a return to normalcy
by d_c_guy on Nov 12, 2011 12:00 PM EST via mobile reply actions 1 recs
+1.
Vivian Jaffe: "Have you ever transcended space and time?"
Albert Markovski: "Yes. No. Uh, time, not space... No, I don't know what you're talking about."
by Patrick Reddington on Nov 12, 2011 1:31 PM EST up reply actions
Not really crazy about Fitt's top 10 this year...
as I personally think he over-rated Goodwin & Meyer, but BA has always gone for the new, shiny thing over players who have shown steady progress. I’m one of those guys who would rather be conservative on signees who haven’t posted any professional PA’s / IP’s yet. Waiting to see Sickels’ pre publication top-20 before I go on a full blown rant.
Who's in instead of Goodwin and Meyer for you? I was surprised it was so 2011-heavy too, to be honest.
But I assume they’ve seen a lot more of Goodwin and Meyer than me. (I’ve just seen youtube clips.)
Vivian Jaffe: "Have you ever transcended space and time?"
Albert Markovski: "Yes. No. Uh, time, not space... No, I don't know what you're talking about."
by Patrick Reddington on Nov 12, 2011 2:09 PM EST up reply actions
Tommy Milone & Robbie Ray
Statistically, the major difference between Cole & Ray was the K:W ratio (4.1:1 v 1.9:1), although Ray had the slightly better ERA & WHIP numbers (3.13 v 4.04, 1.23 v 1.25). Hopefully, I’ll get good looks at both of them in POT next year.
Two good ones, I couldn't think of another outfielder to put over Goodwin...
Why I was limiting myself to fielders I’m not sure. (I’m tired) but Milone wasn’t up enough to remove his prospect status, so that makes sense and I’ve heard a lot of good things about Ray. I’ve officially decided that MiLB.com is a must-have this year, tired of only reading about these kids and with archived games it’s a must.
Vivian Jaffe: "Have you ever transcended space and time?"
Albert Markovski: "Yes. No. Uh, time, not space... No, I don't know what you're talking about."
by Patrick Reddington on Nov 12, 2011 2:37 PM EST up reply actions
MiLB.tv that is.
Vivian Jaffe: "Have you ever transcended space and time?"
Albert Markovski: "Yes. No. Uh, time, not space... No, I don't know what you're talking about."
by Patrick Reddington on Nov 12, 2011 2:37 PM EST up reply actions
The OF crop is getting better
Goodwin, Hood, Keyes, Oduber, Perez, Taylor all show or hold promise, but are also 2-3 years away, imo.
I guess I am not sure that Millone is a major league pitcher
Peacock definitely is. I would agree that Ray should be on the list either at the expense of Goodwin or Meyers.
"I was a victim of a series of accidents. As are we all."
---Malachi Constant
by The Herndon Kid on Nov 12, 2011 6:24 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
It's starting to sound like Rizzo may be agreeing with Davey a little bit about Harper.
Aim for the head baby Jesus
Only if Rizzo can't find a CF in the offseason
Find a starting CF, and the OF is Morse – ??? – Werth, and Harper goes back to the minors until the team trades LaRoche or Morse. No CF, and Harper has a shot out of Viera, with Werth moving to CF.
That's why I asked what he thought about Werth in CF in the last teleconference...
Wanted to see how happy he was with Werth out there in case the second scenario plays out. Of course he’s not going to say, “He was awful,” but he seemed happy with what he saw though he stressed in “perfect world” Werth’s in right. Also stressed left and right with Harper in the interview above. Still think Harper starts down in Double-A but I’ll be happy to be wrong.
Vivian Jaffe: "Have you ever transcended space and time?"
Albert Markovski: "Yes. No. Uh, time, not space... No, I don't know what you're talking about."
by Patrick Reddington on Nov 12, 2011 2:41 PM EST up reply actions
Arbitration Clock.....
Is why Harper will start in the minors. The Nats won’t bring him up if that action would start his arbitration clock early. The Giants brought Lincecum up early and it cost them over $12 million. It is exactly what the Nats did with Strasburg. They waited until after Memorial Day before they brought him up and it bought them one extra year before they have to offer arbitration. If Harper continues to progress at this impressive rate he will be up next summer, but not before!
I don’t believe that is the case with Harper due to the terms of his contract.
Aim for the head baby Jesus
I figured RobBob would break that down again, I forget exactly how he explained it...
Vivian Jaffe: "Have you ever transcended space and time?"
Albert Markovski: "Yes. No. Uh, time, not space... No, I don't know what you're talking about."
by Patrick Reddington on Nov 12, 2011 4:25 PM EST up reply actions
That story applies (or, more aptly, DOESN'T apply) to "Super 2" status
Whether he comes up at the beginning of next year or not, he will not be arbitration-eligible at least until the end of the 2015, because he has a contract through that year. However, it is correct that if they wait to bring him up until after all of 2012 and part of 2013, that he will not have enough ML time (3 years) to qualify for arbitration after the 2015 season. I strongly doubt though they will wait that long to bring him up just to save them one year of arbitration money.
Rob
-- In baseball we trust.
Exactly.
There is waiting, and there is stupidity. If money is not a factor for a season and a half, then making him a major league player out of camp, at the deadline, or as a september callup doesn’t matter, he should be up when he is ready, and I think it should be soon.
Aim for the head baby Jesus
Harrisburg could be a team in distress next year,
given the severe flooding of the park caused by Hurricane Lee, and the fact that the city is fighting off bankrupcy, it might be a while before City Island Park is deemed useable. Syracuse may be the team to get a big prospect boost this year, and Harrisburg will get a roster full of OG’s & minor-league FA’s as a pure touring team.
I hope not
I really really want to plan a Hershey-Harrisburg double header day once the Bears are in the playoffs.
Aim for the head baby Jesus

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