Well, they didn’t send him to Arizona to keep the bat on his shoulder.
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Nationals super-prospect Bryce Harper has played in three games so far in the Arizona Fall League. Allowed to play only on Wednesdays and Saturday as a late addition to the Scottsdale roster, he is 3-for-12 with a double and two RBI. He also has struck out three times and has yet to draw a walk.
And that will be the big story of Harper’s first pro season in 2011. Can he control the strike zone? Even at 18 some scouts believe his power is as good as any young player ever. But if Harper is going to reach his ceiling, he needs a little Derek Norris in him.
Who’s that? He was Washington’s top catching prospect until Mike Rizzo pried Wilson Ramos away from the Twins. Norris has yet to play a game above Single-A. But few players in the minor leagues have a better sense of the strike zone. Even as a 21-year-old recovering from wrist surgery, Norris struck out just 94 times at Potomac in 2010 and walked 89. His on-base percentage the last three minor league seasons: .444, .413 and .419. In Arizona, Norris has walked nine times already in eight games.
You can’t teach that skill. Harper’s big test over the next 12 months is to prove he has it, too.
