Nationals’ Harper still passionate young star
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Bryce Harper may be one of the greatest young talents in baseball, a four-time All-Star outfielder for the Washington Nationals, but can’t bring himself to watch the games he doesn’t play.
He can be defiant, and oozes with bravado every step he takes, but is as awestruck as a 7-year-old getting his first autographed baseball card when meeting those who played the game before him.
He was an All-Star by 19, a three-time division winner and now, a married man at the age of 24.
He also just so happens to be a walking contradiction to popular belief, which amuses him more than angers him, as he captivates the baseball world like no other.
This is a player opposing fans love to hate, but only if they actually knew he’s not merely the precocious product of a hype machine, but also one of the most engaging, charming and passionate players in the game.
“I seriously don’t think about what people are saying about me,” Harper tells USA TODAY Sports. “I just say whatever comes to mind. I mean, I really don’t sugar-coat anything. I don’t really try to be proper. You’re going to get what you see, and that’s always how I’ve been.”
People look at him and see that 24-year-old face, but only if they knew the old soul inside his youthful body.
“The biggest thing that bothers me with these young kids is that they don’t know the tradition of the game,” Harper says. “They don’t know Willie Mays, Jackie Robinson, Mickey Mantle, George Brett, Ken Griffey Jr. There are kids that don’t even know about Junior, and that’s absurd to me.”
Folks keep predicting Harper’s future when he’s eligible for free agency in two years, wondering whether he’ll become baseball’s first $400 million player, or possibly command $540 million over 13 years, as the Nationals’ ownership fears. But only if they knew he’s looking no further ahead than his next spring-training at-bat.
“That’s still two years down the road, and we’ve still got, what, 324 more (regular-season) games to go,” Harper says. “It wouldn’t be fair to anybody in this clubhouse if I started worrying about free agency. If you worry about the future, that’s when you get yourself in trouble. You start thinking, ‘I got to do this, I got to do that.’ “I want to live for now.” The industry’s speculation is that his talent and personality is made for the New York Yankees, who already are preparing for the star-studded 2018 free-agent class. His consistent response is his love for Washington D.C. and its history.
“It’s such a great place to play in such a monumental town,” Harper says. “They have so many incredible people that have come through the city. You drive down 395, and you see the Washington monuments, the Jefferson Memorial, and right down the road is the White House. It’s just beautiful.”
Even the Nationals want to believe that Harper beat himself up all winter after hitting .243 last season, on the heels of his 42-homer, NL MVP effort in 2015. The man himself has a different perspective. “To tell you the truth, when I got to the offseason, baseball was the last thing on my mind,” Harper says. “I had a big-boy off-season, really. Buying a house. Moving into the house. Getting furniture. Designing the exterior. The interior. Planning a wedding.
“So baseball didn’t eat me up at all, or anything like that. The only thing that mattered to me was my family.
“Besides, everybody says this and that about my year, but personally I thought I had a pretty good year. Not my best year, of course, but if that’s the worst year (24 homers, 86 RBI, 21 stolen bases and .814 OPS) I’m ever going to have, I’ll take it. Why not?”
And, yes, he has dreams, aspiring to have a career like two of his favorite players, Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano, who so happen to be former Yankees.
“I still remember I’m 19 years old, standing on second base,” Harper says, “and there’s Jeter at short, Cano at second, and Andy Pettitte on the mound. How awesome is that? And then Jeter, who wasn’t just the captain of the Yankees, but the captain of baseball, walks over and talks to me.” The message was simple: “He told me, ‘Enjoy this, have fun,’ ” Harper said. “I’ll always remember that. I mean, if you don’t enjoy this, what’s the point of doing it? “Believe me, I’m having the time of my life.” If everyone can see that, perhaps only then, will they understand him.