Bryan Harper makes pitch to join brother
It’s easy to confuse Bryan Harper with his more famous brother Bryce, especially with both wearing Washington Nationals uniforms.
They stand about six foot four and share similar facial features, right down to tightly cropped beards. Even Bryan’s No. 39 is similar to Bryce’s 34.
That’s one reason Bryan doesn’t mind too much when fans call him Bryce while lobbying for an autograph. “They’re like, ‘Oh, thanks Bryce,’ ” said a smiling Bryan, who always signs his own name. “I’m like, OK, well, enjoy that signature.”
Bryan, a reliever, and Bryce, a right-fielder, have yet to appear simultaneously in a game this year. Normally stoic, Bryce conceded he could get emotional if they ever share the same field.
“You get the chills sitting here and thinking about him running past you,” Bryce said. “Standing in right field, I’m right there in the bullpen. I’m sure they’ll pan on to me and I’ll be tearing up a little bit because if he makes it up here, it’s going to be pretty incredible for me and my family.”
Bryce is the famous brother. Bryan, at 28, is older by three years. He was playing for the Nationals’ single-A team in Auburn, N.Y., when 19-year-old Bryce made his major league debut in 2012. Drafted in three different years, Bryan signed with the Nationals after they chose him in the 30th round of the 2010 amateur draft. He had consecutive seasons with a sub-3.00 ERA as a reliever at double-A Harrisburg and triple-A Syracuse, then missed last season while recovering from elbow ligament-replacement surgery. His fastball is about 90 miles an hour, about three m.p.h. shy of his pre-injury velocity, and he throws a slider and a change-up. The lefthander has a 3.00 ERA in three exhibition appearances. “Bryan earned his stripes,” Washington general manager Mike Rizzo said. “We’ve never handed him anything. He was well on his way before the injury and rehabbed diligently and worked really hard to get here.
“It had nothing to do with the name on the back of his jersey.” The Harpers live together during spring training but don’t spend much time with each other once they arrive at the ballpark. Their lockers are on opposite ends of the clubhouse, and during games Bryan is usually in the bullpen while Bryce sits in the dugout — but not always.
“It was good the other day,” Bryan said. “He was DHing and I was in the dugout. I just got to hang out with him for a little bit, so that was fun.”