http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... 82994.html
Is This the Best Hitting Prospect Ever?[b]
By all rights, Washington Nationals outfield prospect Bryce Harper should still be a senior in high school, renting a tuxedo for prom and searching for a summer job. Instead, Harper is playing Single-A baseball in Hagerstown, Md., and proving that he may be the best prospect the game has seen in a very long time.
[b]Harper's line for the South Atlantic League affiliate of the Nationals looks like something out of a video game—he's hitting .396 and has launched eight home runs in 111 at-bats at a level where most of the pitchers are three to four years older than he is. Despite being one of just three 18-year-olds in the league, Harper is leading the SAL in batting average and slugging percentage, and he's second in on-base percentage.
His line so far is dwarfing the performances put up at the same age and at the same level by even the best players in baseball history. Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez were the last two prospects to receive this kind of hype coming out of high school, and like Harper, both were selected No. 1 overall. However, neither of them came close to hitting .400, at that age and Harper is showing more power than both.
The list of players who dominated full-season minor leagues at age 18 is essentially a who's who of great hitters. Harper has drawn comparisons to Texas Rangers outfielder and reigning AL MVP Josh Hamilton, but based on their early career returns, that might be vastly underselling just how good Harper can be.
Pine's note: I moved this thread over from the Wizards board and changed the title to reflect the article being quoted, above. (The original thread title was "Washington Nationals Thread").
