Nats introduce top pick
Bryce Harper arrived at Nationals Park exactly as advertised.
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The No. 1 pick in the 2010 Major League Baseball draft took batting practice hours before Thursday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals, launching a dozen balls into the outer reaches of the ballpark.
At his introduction to the local media about two hours later, Harper fielded questions like a seasoned veteran, not the 17-year-old who skipped his final two years of high school to play junior college ball so he would be eligible for the draft. His trademark eye black was nowhere in sight. But Harper sported a faux-hawk haircut courtesy of his sister, a beautician.
“It felt like home,” Harper said. “It was a blast going out there. Hitting on a pro field is always fun. That’s a kid’s dream. I’m like a kid in a candy store right now.”
Star third baseman Ryan Zimmerman handed Harper a Nationals jersey — No. 34 in homage to New York Yankees legend Mickey Mantle because those digits add up to the Hall of Fame outfielder’s No. 7. When asked about his unique haircut, he cracked “the ladies like it” with a big smile. Harper’s demeanor was the opposite of the notoriously attention-shy Stephen Strasburg during his own introductory press conference last August.
“I’ve had a lot of people on me my whole life,” Harper said about the media attention that has hounded him since he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a 16-year-old phenom. “I’m used to it now. I want to have fun. Having the media and stuff, that’s fine. I don’t care. If you like me, you like me. If you don’t, you don’t.”
Nats general manager Mike Rizzo reiterated that Harper would head to Viera, Fla., for the organization’s instructional league next month and that the prestigious Arizona Fall League was still a possibility.
“[Harper] loves the game. He loves to hit. He loves the work. And I think throughout the winter he’ll probably be chomping at the bit to get to spring training,” Nats manager Jim Riggleman said. “That’s where he really gets the feel of professional baseball. … So it’s going to be a great journey for him, and it’s about ready to start.”
