HAGERSTOWN, Md. – Bryce Harper took an outside strike and shot a disapproving glance at the umpire.
It shouldn’t have been a surprise to the young phenom. The ump had been calling them wide all game. Showing displeasure now — with a man on base in the seventh inning when his team needed runs — was hardly going to help.
Three pitches later, Harper struck out by flailing at a pitch that was well outside with the runner going. Another lesson learned by a teenager navigating the backwaters of minor league baseball.
Harper was on the cover of Sports Illustrated when he was 16 and accelerated his way into college, setting himself up to be the No. 1 overall pick by the Washington Nationals in last year’s draft. He signed a $9.9 million contract, the biggest payday for a drafted position player.
He added to his legacy shortly after joining the Class A Hagerstown Suns, when he emerged from a slow start and went on an 18-game hitting streak, to the point that he’s now among the South Atlantic League leaders in batting average and homers (.338 and 13 through Sunday’s games). He attributed the turnaround to new contact lenses, saying he was “blind
Read More from the Article Source: Full Article
