I already posted the full transcript of DC GM Mike Rizzo's comments during the press conference last week announcing the Washington Nationals' selection of College of Southern Nevada catcher/outfielder with the no.1 overall pick in the 2010 MLB First-Year Player Draft, but the Nats' Assistant GM and VP of Player Personnel Roy Clark and Director of Scouting Kris Kline were also at the press conference fielding questions about what they saw in the power-hitting 17-year-old future Nats' right fielder...Here's what they had to say:
• You said this is the only hitter in the Draft that projects as a no.3 hitter, can you describe Bryce Harper as a hitter?
Kris Kline: "Very advanced for his age, very polished. You look at him and he does things on the field where you go, 'He's 17-years-old,' and you roll in there on another day see him do things that 25-26-year-old kids do. So, he has the ability to keep the bat in the strike zone, and I think he sees the ball extremely well. Just a very advanced, simple approach, and that knack for driving the ball the other way already just tells me how advanced he is at this point..."
• Roy Clark, what were your first impressions of Bryce Harper?
Roy Clark: "I saw Bryce when I think he was probably about 15-years-old in an East Cobb tournament...and that's when we started to develop our relationship with he and his family, so we've been tracking him for quite a while...the first time I saw him I said, 'Oh my Gosh!', I said, 'Who is this guy?', and then I found out he was 15-years-old, so you could see that he had a chance to be special back then..."
• Who does Harper remind you of?
Kris Kline: "For me...I don't like to place expectations on guys, but when you see players you compare them to different guys that you've seen over the years, and the more players you see that larger your database is, but for me, he looks, if he's in right field, it's maybe a cross between a Larry Walker-type guy, a little bit of J.D. Drew the way his hands work through the zone..."
• Opening Statements: (ed. note - Reprinted from an earlier post.")
Roy Clark: "Like Mike said, we've been scouting him extensively, we think he's got a chance to be a special type player on the field and special person off the field. We are delighted to have selected him with the first pick in the 2010 Draft, but from this point forward, we would like to pick 30th every year and not [number] one."
Kris Kline: "I got to see Bryce play probably 20 games total including the fall, probably about 80 at bats, so we have a real high comfort level with what type of player he is, what type of player we think he's going to be. I think we feel that this is the only bat in this Draft that has the potential to be a three-hole hitter, and of course you know, hitting from the left side only adds to the value, so, he's a very special player, brings a lot to the table, and I think you guys are really going to enjoy seeing this kid playing in a couple of years."