Bryce Harper is one of two players who are said to be the future of baseball. To this point in his career, those predecessors have been correct. Harper is off to a torrid start and has Nationals fans extremely excited about the future. At only 20-years-old, Harper has already put some ridiculous numbers up.
In the 2012 season he was named the National League Rookie of the Year. During that season he became the youngest position player to make the All Star game. Obviously, these are some very impressive feats and baseball fans around the world expected to see him do the same thing in the 2013 season. His answer? Two home runs on Opening Day, becoming the youngest hitter to do this in the first game of the season.
If you have yet to watch Harper play and you are a baseball fan, the time is now. He goes all-out on every single play and has one of the quickest bats in all of baseball. Lately, Harper has been receiving a lot of criticism for the level of intensity that he plays at. He recently ran into an outfield wall, trying to make an acrobatic catch. The result? 11 stitches and a spot on the bench for a few games. The funny thing about all these “experts” who are saying he shouldn’t go so hard, are the ones who complain about other athletes who don’t give their all on the field.
Looking ahead to the future is very tough to do in baseball, but when you have a guy with the potential to be one of the best, comparisons are fair. One of the main athletes that Harper has been compared to is the legendary, Mickey Mantle. The main comparison you can visually see is how they swing, mainly their footwork. They both lift their front foot and push it forward with extreme power. Harper has a loooooooong ways to go until he can even be close to compared to the great Mantle, but the presence at the plate is eerily similar.
What makes Harper so exciting is the fact that he is only 20 years of age! If he keeps it up, you might just be seeing an Andruw Jones type athletic freak in left field. No one knows for sure if things will pan out for the young star but for now things are looking bright for the future.