So I was reading my usual amount of sports news today and read about a kid in Vegas named Bryce Harper. He is a catcher who looks like he is going to be the hottest kid coming into the draft since Griffey. I had to see the video of him swinging for myself so I went to trusty YouTube and boom there it was. Bryce Harper in a Home Run Derby at the Trop in Tampa Bay. I must say that the kid put on an amazing show. You can see the video on the main page of Fanzak.com. 500 plus feet bomb he hit. Very Impressive.

A couple things that come to mind about his swing right off the bat. It reminds me of Griffey. It is very fluid with a slight uppercut. I think that he is going to need to quiet his feet as he progresses. There is no way he is going to hit MLB breaking balls with that much movement. He needs to spread his stance out a little bit more and get rid of the double hitch. Some sort of mechanism is not a bad thing to have in your swing.  I was taught to swing no stride in high school but you still need some sort of mechanism. I actually would rather see him with a traditional step like Griffey.

The other thing about Harper is he is currently a catcher. Now nothing against being a catcher but their career expectancy is much shorter. While they will reach the majors quickly they also wear down much easier. There is a reason Matt Weiters is so highly rated right now. This very same thing happened to Joe Mauer, he shot through the Twins system and then look at what has happened to him in the last couple of years. He has been hurt. I could see Harper moving to third base and doing it quickly so that his upside is much greater. He eventually could then move to first base as he fills out which I imagine he will do as he is 6-3 as a sophomore.

The real question is how long until my arch nemesis Scott Boras gets his hands on him. With my luck the Pirates will end up with the number one pick and they will not be able to sign him, he goes to school, comes back out and they pick him again and cannot sign him again. Yes pessimistic, but this is coming from a Pirates fan that watched his beloved Buc's take Danny Moskos over Weiters.

It will be interesting to see how well he does over his last two years of High School. In two years will someone pass him as the best player in the draft or will Harper continue to shine? Only time will tell.