Bryce Harper Scouting Report (2011)

Earlier today, Washington Nationals uber-prospect Bryce Harper was given an aggressive promotion from full season A Hagerstown to double-A Harrisburg of the Eastern League. His final stat line in the "Sally" of .318/.423/.554 is the most impressive tally when considering age versus level since Marlins slugger Mike Stanton went .293/.381.611</strong></em> in 2008 at 18 years of age for Greensboro.

This promotion sends a clear signal to Harper that a place in the 2012 Washington outfield is there for the taking should the young outfielder, who normally would have just graduated high school, fully seize the opportunity. Bryce Harper is a special prospect. The phrase, "once in a generation" is thrown around far too often, but he truly fits the bill.
  • Big league build at 18; Listed height/weight of 6-foot-3, 225 lbs.
  • Noticeably large feet and hands; Is Harper done growing?
  • Impressive athleticism for a player his size; Excellent coordination and body control
  • Pulled 60 running time off of video; 4.1 second home-to-first<
  • isplayed impressive power in batting practice; Hit at least 1/2 dozen balls out
  • Lets ball travel extremely deep in batting practice; Aids power; Most young hitters attack ball out front
  • Long strider; Extra movement in the back of his swing creates length
  • With 99% of prospects the length would be an issue; Not with Harper
  • Harper has the bat speed to compensate and use length as part of his timing mechanism to let the ball travel deep into the strike zone
  • In game action, Harper scorched balls down the LF and RF line
  • Offspeed pitches had him out on front foot at times
  • Able to keep hands back and foul off tough pitches with two strikes
  • Laid down beautiful drag bunt for base hit
  • Stole 2nd base easily off of Braves Christian Bethancourt; Beth has 70+ throwing arm
  • Speed and instincts to steal 15 bases at the MLB level
  • Displayed above average to plus arm strength in right field
  • Took very good routes to balls considering he's new to the outfield
  • Harper could probably handle CF sufficiently at the lower levels
  • Extremely cerebral player; Shows in all aspects of his game
  • First player on Hagerstown signing autographs and meeting fans after BP
In recent podcast interviews, I've been comparing Harper to a cross of Jason Heyward and Mike Stanton. Having scouted both as teenagers, Harper has about 85% of Heyward's fluid movements and 85% of Stanton's raw power. When combined, the tools leave Harper as close to a can't miss prospect as there can be. At this point, injury is the only thing which could slow his ascent. And while he is likely to suffer some growing pains in Washington early as most prospects do, expect Harper to be a perennial most valuable player candidate in his prime capable of .300/.400/.600 seasons.