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Scott0923
49 Posts |
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oldmanmj
191 Posts |
 Posted - 04/14/2010 : 22:31:11
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| No hater here, just a realist. It is like sending a high school ball player to the Little League World Series. I could have gone to the bank on him playing well at the JUCO level. Trust me, having played with him, against him and watched him for 5 years, he is very good, but he would not have these numbers in DIV I College Baseball. Why didn't he go to a big school? They all know who he is, so what if he is a one and done, it happens everywhere. He is a great kid, even tempered, respectful and kind. But he is not the promoter here....if you get my drift. He will not be a Mauer, Rodriguez, Pujols, etc etc etc. I hope he can, but I don't see it. |
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Juice11
8 Posts |
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G-Man
326 Posts |
Posted - 04/15/2010 : 09:40:34
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He didnt go to a big D1 school because he is going in to the draft in June. He had to attend a Juco for one season so he would be eligible for the upcoming draft. Remember he took his GED to be eligible for the MLB draft.
The only issues Bryce will face are the mental ones. If this young man can keep his head on right with all the publicity and media attention he will do fine. I expect him to be the first pick in the draft but if not the first. He will be in the top 5 picks. His talents are raw but he has all 5 tools. I believe he will be drafted as a catcher because of his hitting power and the fact he has been clocked at 96mph as a 16 year old. This leaves a lot of room for project-ability.
quote:
Originally posted by oldmanmj
No hater here, just a realist. It is like sending a high school ball player to the Little League World Series. I could have gone to the bank on him playing well at the JUCO level. Trust me, having played with him, against him and watched him for 5 years, he is very good, but he would not have these numbers in DIV I College Baseball. Why didn't he go to a big school? They all know who he is, so what if he is a one and done, it happens everywhere. He is a great kid, even tempered, respectful and kind. But he is not the promoter here....if you get my drift. He will not be a Mauer, Rodriguez, Pujols, etc etc etc. I hope he can, but I don't see it.
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mrbama31
252 Posts |
Posted - 04/15/2010 : 10:38:57
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Harper will sign for some big money and will get a very good shot at being an everyday player in the Bigs. Left handed hitting catcher with big arm and can run....not to mention lots of power. Pros love this combination.
Interesting stat that I noticed was the other teams success stealing bases against them 46 out 54. Thats NOT very good for Mr Harper. Definitely NOT shutting the other team down. |
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bballman
1432 Posts |
Posted - 04/15/2010 : 11:04:05
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| I saw that too. Runners have stolen 25 of 28 against Harper. Not a good percentage. Could be the pitchers as well, but you would think he would get more than that. Other than that, sounds like he is lighting it up at the JUCO level. Regardless of the level of competition ie. JUCO vs D1, he is playing against kids who are 1-3 years older than him. Pretty good. I too had been a little put off by the hype, but not many people get the chance that is available to him. Regardless of whether he actually makes it or not in the bigs, he should make enough money for his signing bonus that he will be set for life if he manages it smartly. Can't blame him for taking advantage of that. |
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Spartan4
913 Posts |
Posted - 04/15/2010 : 15:38:45
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| JUCO generally has better pitching than D1. Just from my experiences and observations, HS seniors with a legit chance of being drafted usually don't forgo 2 years of making serious money. Especially when the same "polishing" to mechanics and weight training programs are available in the minor leagues. |
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bturner
231 Posts |
Posted - 04/15/2010 : 21:18:20
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| Bryce Harper did something a lot different. He took his GED and went to JuCo. Gets him drafted a year earlier. The kid is a PHENOM. At 17 hitting over 400. I want my son and daughters to go to college to make a better living for themselves. He will be drafted #1 overall in 2011 and his signing bonus will be more than all 3 of my kids will ever earn. Hard to say he is doing the wrong thing. |
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oldschooldad
203 Posts |
Posted - 04/15/2010 : 22:04:34
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quote:
Originally posted by Spartan4
JUCO generally has better pitching than D1. Just from my experiences and observations, HS seniors with a legit chance of being drafted usually don't forgo 2 years of making serious money. Especially when the same "polishing" to mechanics and weight training programs are available in the minor leagues.
IMHO, I strongly disagree.
In the 2009 MLB draft on about 5 JUCO or Comm. College pitchers were selected in the first 100- the firsr being #50. The vast majority were selected from major universities, mostly D1, and from HS.
As far as Harper is concerned, I say stop the hating. He is only a 17 year kid. I have never seen him play and wish him well, but remember there have been phemons in many different sports. Most are just hype and never pan out.
I will also say this. I would NEVER want my kid to quit High School early to get a GED. Graduate with your peers and enjoy being a kid!!!!! |
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DecaturDad
619 Posts |
Posted - 04/16/2010 : 08:12:21
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quote:
Originally posted by oldschooldad
I will also say this. I would NEVER want my kid to quit High School early to get a GED. Graduate with your peers and enjoy being a kid!!!!!
If my son ever got the chance to settle for a GED and get that kind if signing bonus, i would tell him to go for it. Worst case, he crashes and burns in the majors, licks his wounds, takes that nest egg and gets a top notch education a for years later. |
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mrbama31
252 Posts |
Posted - 04/16/2010 : 08:35:10
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Sorry Spartan...but this is not true. There are some very good pitchers playing JUCO but the pitching on the Juco level is not very deep per team. Most JUCO teams will have 2-3 d1 type pitchers at the most. Then it can really drop off..Unlike playing in the SEC or ACC for example most teams are going to be 8 strong in the pitching area with 3-5 late rd prospects and 1 or 3 mid to top rd prospects. Breaking pitches in the SEC/ACC will be better than anything hitters see in A ball and in some case better than Double A. I base my opinion
on playing/pitching at all three levels.
quote:
Originally posted by Spartan4
JUCO generally has better pitching than D1. Just from my experiences and observations, HS seniors with a legit chance of being drafted usually don't forgo 2 years of making serious money. Especially when the same "polishing" to mechanics and weight training programs are available in the minor leagues.
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clg003
79 Posts |
Posted - 04/16/2010 : 11:28:51
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Am I hearing this thread right??? Someone is actually saying they can tell a 17 yr old kid isn’t going to be an MVP or a hall of famer. I’m sorry guys but that’s totally laughable. Like Pujols or any of those other guys were ever deemed to become what they have become. Isn’t it obvious that your evaluation means absolutely nothing (let the major league scouts take care of this) and no one ever projects any 17 yr old to become a hall of famer. Sure Bryce is overhyped but no one is saying he is going to be a hall of famer (which is what the guys you have named will be). He is one of the best 17 yr old hitting prospects ever but how he adjusts to day in and day out 90 mph pitching with sick breaking ball remains to be seen. But as of right now his potential is as great as any of the guys you have mentioned at this age, in fact its better.
And did I actually hear someone say that SEC and ACC pitching is better than A and sometimes double AA ball? Because I think every single major league scouts would disagree. If a kid's hitting .380 to .450 in double AA they are not there for long. That’s not uncommon to see in college. Yeah kids will see more breaking balls in college but not better on average. And the reason they see more is because of how the aluminum bat, not because that’s where good breaking ball pitchers go. College kids know they can’t saw off a batter so they rely more on breaking pitches but in the minors you have more pitchers that throw harder and who can locate that inside fastball. The minors are harder throwers who pitch off of their fastballs whereas in college many guys pitch off of their breaking pitches. Remember the best guys your speaking of in the SEC and ACC will eventually be in A and AA ball where they will have to learn to utilize the fastball more. Most of these guys will end their careers here.
There is not controversy as to why Bryce is playing in the league he is doing so. It’s not because he is scared or worried or any other thing its simply because this particular JUCO league tends to be more aligned with what kids will see in the minors rather than college because they use wooden bats. And at this time next year Bryce will be the number one player chosen in the draft (with likely the largest or second largest signing bonus ever) and he will be working hard in the minor leagues.
I just hope he is a Brave. |
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mrbama31
252 Posts |
Posted - 04/16/2010 : 22:20:49
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quote:
Originally posted by clg003
And did I actually hear someone say that SEC and ACC pitching is better than A and sometimes double AA ball?
Cig...NO I did not say pitching was better....what I did type wasthe breaking pitches were better...
Most kids at the A level are hard throwers that are developing breaking/off speed pitches while gaining command of their fastball.. Most SEC starters and closers are forced to learn nasty breaking pitches due to pitching against aluminum bat.
The fastball is much more effective in pro ball than it is against SEC type hitters with aluminum bats.
My original post was more to compare Juco pitchers to D1 . |
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bambino_dad
119 Posts |
Posted - 04/16/2010 : 23:30:40
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Clg is right. Thanks to the aluminum bat you can't make a living throwing fastballs in D1, you absolutely cannot. In the minors, because you can actually break bats with inside heat, fastballs must be in a pitcher's arsenal if he expects to get to the show.
But D1 pitchers going to "A" ball? I dunno about that. While the best breaking ball pitchers in the minors tend to be the college kids, it's their three year commitment to college that keeps them from being assigned to "A" ball. Most are sent to "AA".
The progression to move up from A-to-Majors is too long for the team's investment to pay off. And because college players by and large sign for bigger bonuses - the organization won't wait more than three years for a kid to gel. Even more, if a college kid's bonus is real nice HE won't wait. Happens all the time. Money rules the minors nowadays. Three and out for the college boys - if they don't get to the show first.
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Spartan4
913 Posts |
Posted - 04/17/2010 : 02:16:33
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| I guess I should have explained my post a little better. D1 pitching is strong and the breaking pitches are extremely different than a JUCO level. And a D1 pitching staff is top to bottom stronger than a JUCO pitching staff. But I do believe the #1 or #2 pitchers that I seen pitch at the JUCO level generally throw extremely hard, and I can really only base my opinion on what I have seen. Also a couple years ago I was watching a family friend pitch in high school, this kid is now at the University of Georgia and I was lucky enough to see him pitch and win in high school. While at a game vs. a rival school I noticed there were several scouts watching the game, I struck up a conversation with a couple and this is what I was told. Every single one of the scouts had heard of our friend but they were there to watch the other pitcher. This kid got absolutely LIT up and the scouts were still all raving about his fastball, with two of them telling me and my father that they can teach a kid that can throw 94-95 to throw a hook but they could never teach a kid that has excellent command of 4 pitches but only throws 88 to throw 95. |
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bluecup
49 Posts |
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bambino_dad
119 Posts |
Posted - 04/19/2010 : 14:57:23
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quote:
...the scouts were still all raving about his fastball, with two of them telling me and my father that they can teach a kid that can throw 94-95 to throw a hook but they could never teach a kid that has excellent command of 4 pitches but only throws 88 to throw 95.
Was talking to a scout friend the other day about the very same issue. A power pitcher may be coveted because of upside and potential, but mostly it's due to the wood bat. 88 mph doesn't break 'em like the mid-90s heat.
The transition to wood bat for Harper will be the tale of the tape. From what I've seen of his HRs, I'm guessing he'll have no problem there either. |
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Spartan4
913 Posts |
Posted - 04/19/2010 : 15:53:57
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I do believe the JUCO he plays for only uses wood bats??? I could be wrong so don't quote me on it. Regardless he will most likely be the #1 draft pick and get quite a ridiculous payday. Even if he never makes it to the show that is still a pretty good accomplishment.
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bturner
231 Posts |
Posted - 04/20/2010 : 13:48:18
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| Anyone see Bryce on MLB network today? They were raving about him being a 5 tool super star. |
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Rocky
290 Posts |
Posted - 04/20/2010 : 14:48:23
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| I think they use wood bats most of the season then have to go to Aluminum to qualify for regionals and world series. |
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mrbama31
252 Posts |
Posted - 04/20/2010 : 22:37:25
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I did not know that...does their conference use them? if so that is pretty cool.
quote:
Originally posted by Rocky
I think they use wood bats most of the season then have to go to Aluminum to qualify for regionals and world series.
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kehndog
88 Posts |
Posted - 04/21/2010 : 14:02:46
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| While its certainly NOT the path that anyone would recommend to a young player, Harper's decision to get the GED and play JUCO is going to pay off for him. And YES, the fact that he is hitting bombs with an exceptionally high BA using a wood bat in JUCO is something that is definitely being noticed by MLB scouts. Look for the Nationals to take him as their first pick. Strasburg in 2009 and Harper in 2010 ... the Nat's should be very competitive very soon. |
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theTRUTH
7 Posts |
Posted - 05/03/2010 : 23:25:29
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Bryce is the real deal. He is still a kid growing up fast in a cruel world. But he is still undeniably a power house of a player. Let's wish him well in his love for the game despite any other distractions. And that is "theTRUTH" |
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Scott0923
49 Posts |
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j_holc24
8 Posts |
Posted - 05/26/2010 : 14:32:06
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| For everyone who doesn't exactly have their facts straight. Bryce Harper is the real deal. Will he be a hall of famer? Only time will tell, but one thing is for sure, he has a shot at being a very good professional. He dropped out of high school and got his GED, you can't go straight to D1 with a GED, you have a to have a diploma for that. Also, he wants to go straight pro, another reason for JUCO. Lastly, I have been tracking his numbers all year, and they are ridiculous. Especially for a 17 yr old. He HAS been using wood all year and wants to use it in the JUCO World Series, but has to go with metal because his whole team is. Kid is legit. |
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j_holc24
8 Posts |
Posted - 05/26/2010 : 20:06:55
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| Also, on another note, over the weekend, Bryce Harper had a 3 game stretch where in one game he went 6-7 and hit for the cycle. The next game he went a pedestrian 2-5, and went out with a bang in the championship game that sent his team to the JUCO World Series. Harper went 6-6 with 4 HR's and 10 RBI's. No, thats not a typo, those are stats from one game. Last time I checked, no one else in the college game had those numbers from one game. |
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Bryce Harper Haters
