Could the Mets Draft Bryce Harper?
By Matt Pignataro ~ February 9th, 2010. Filed under: Digest Contributors, New York Mets.
The 2010 MLB Draft is four months away in June with the Mets holding the rights to the seventh overall pick.
Jon Morosi of FoxSports.com talked to scout who thinks Bryce Harper won’t be higher than No. 5 pick this spring.
If Harper falls in the draft, could the Mets draft Harper with the seventh overall pick?
Harper, 17, graduated high school two years early and enrolled at the College of Southern Nevada, so he could be eligible for the 2010 First-Year Player Draft.
Scouts like his approach at the plate, and his raw power, especially towards the opposite field. However, some questions remain mechanically in Harper’s swing, according to scouts. As Harper gets out on his front foot way too early and drags his bat through the zone. If you watch video of him, he seemingly jumps at the ball.
Defensively, scouts don’t question his arm, but where he will play. Some scouts like him at his natural position at catcher, while others like Harper at third.
Watching video of Harper on YouTube and being a catcher myself, he has a very long throwing motion to second base.
“I think he’s going to be a good catcher,” a scout said. “He’s a little rough from a technique standpoint. But from a tools standpoint, he’s got a good chance to be above-average. His problems catching are correctable.”
However, a talent evaluator told ESPN.com’s Buster Olney that he’s worried about Harper’s size at 6-3, 205 pounds:
“You worry that if he gets too big, his swing just won’t be quick enough when he starts facing guys who throw harder… [Joe Mauer is the prototypical big catcher], but the thing about Mauer is that he’s so athletic. Nothing is forced. Harper has a strong arm, but there is not nearly the fluidity that Mauer has.”
I would love to see the Mets pick Harper in the draft. A young left-handed hitting catcher, who is very raw, and who has unlimited potential, I believe is something you can’t pass up. My only concern is that with all the hype and pressure surrounding him, will he turn into a bust? What happens to his mind set when he starts to struggle for the first time? But it seems like Harper hasn’t let the media or pressure get into his head yet.
By the way, Harper’s agent is Scott Boras. I wonder how much Boras is going to ask for?
So far this season at the CSN, Harper is hitting .323 (10-for-31) with 3 doubles, a triple, 2 HR and 9 RBI. He has team-leading slugging percentage of .677 with 5 BB and 4 K.
Still very early with the draft four months away. Anything can happen within that time, but it’s never to early to think about the Mets potential future with Harper.
Matt Pignataro is a writer for SevenTraintoShea.com and a regular contributor to NYBD. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here. Pirates Prospect Jarek Cunningham joins us on the show Sunday Feb. 14 at 7 PM, click here to listen live.
February 9th, 2010 at 1:25 pm
I would love to get this kid. Anytime you hear the words “unlimited potential” you’ve got be excited. This kid is going to be an absolute stud, and if the Mets can get him at 7, they should be ALL OVER IT.
As for him dealing with hype of NY, I don’t think it’ll matter…Because he’s already been on the cover of Sports Illustrated this kid’s going to be under the pressure to exceed everywhere, so to me, this one situation the kid won’t mind being in NY during, because the pressure will be so high in general, where he is won’t make much of a difference…
February 9th, 2010 at 1:26 pm
***this is one situation***
February 9th, 2010 at 1:58 pm
Why wouldn’t teams 1 through 6 pick him?
February 9th, 2010 at 2:17 pm
Mike it’s not impossible, but I really doubt it. There is no one in the draft this year that is considered a “1a” so to be speak. Harper is without a doubt the best player in the draft this year. Even if the Nationals pass on him, someone in the 2-6 range will pick him.
February 9th, 2010 at 2:55 pm
Bryce Harper is not “with out a doubt the best player in the draft this year”. He is without a doubt the player with the must potential upside in this years draft. Dont get me wrong, if Harper is available during the Mets pick, i think it would be rediculous not to select a kid of his age and with his potential. However, there are still four months for 6 sets of scouts to decide if he is the best player to select at their slot, and if he is financially attainable with Scott Boras as his agent. I would consider the Mets getting Bryce Harper more than a long shot at this point…but again, thats at this point. Let him play some more college baseball before we deem him the best player in the draft or the most likley to fall because scouts are afraid of his size projections (which is laughable). I think people also forget that while Bryce Harper is playing ball in southern nevada, every other kid about to be drafted is playing ball and impressing scouts aswell. The picture will become more clear in mid to late May hopefully.
February 9th, 2010 at 4:48 pm
jonathan g:
Every single media outlet that covers the draft all state that Harper is the best player on the board. Now, that could very well change (i.e. a major injury), but the point I was trying to make in my previous post was that there doesn’t seem to be another player who can potentially challenge Harper as the best overall player on the board, a “1a”. For instance, in 2007, there was legitimate debate on whether Wieters or Price was the best player on the board. This years draft doesn’t have that kind of competiton, at least not yet and probably it won’t have it at all barring something really major happening to Harper’s draft status.
February 10th, 2010 at 11:32 am
Every single media outlet has the capability of harping on this kid because hes been thrust into the public eye as much as he has and they feed off of each other. I dont know if you have ever seen James Taillon throw but hes an excellent pitcher and is only a couple of years older than Harper is. Its not often that a kid makes the leap from High School to College by getting his GED so that he can get drafted. With Scott Boras as his agent aswell, its just another reason the media has the capability of grasping every reader with more and more talk of this kid. His entangibles are astounding-there’s no question about that, but the media has hyped him up to the point where everyone who is not a scout or an analyst of prospects has forgotten that there are other players being drafted. You have to understand, im not saying this hype is unwarrented, im saying this hype has really masked reality and thats the reason you have not heard of any other potential guys who could be a 1a type of player. If you were to look at Jon Morosi’s post or Keith Law’s rankings, Harper is 4th and 5th respectivley i believe.
March 4th, 2010 at 11:57 pm
@steve
For the money obviously.