19 and Bullet Proof

[DOUGHBOYS]

He's 19.
I've been in the ball park about a half dozen times watching Bryce Harper. Some when he was 17, some when he was 18. He is a can't miss prospect. He hit a ball opposite field farther than I'd ever seen ANY homer hit on a field I've played on since high school. The power is legit and he still hasn't filled out to his man body.
That said, like me and maybe even you, at 17 or 18 years of age, he's a bit of a jerk. It's not surprising. Most kids his age with that much talent have a hard time handling it. Harper was thrown out in one game I saw him in for marking the opposite batters box, showing an umpire where he thought a called third strike was. He also intentionally cleated a first baseman running out a infield hit.

As fantasy baseball players, we care little. Jerkiness isn't one of our 10 categories. We only care about the talent.
Except owners of Milton Bradley, Delmon Young, and Carlos Zambrano may feel differently. Harper has not gone through a full year of baseball without showing his immaturity. If he stays at this level the full year, I don't expect it to be any different. The stages he has been on so far have been off Broadway, the penalties for acting out have been minimal. The recoil will be different on the Big Stage.

Harper wasn't drafted on any of my teams. Not just because of his personality. When he squares up a ball, it's a thing of beauty. How many times will he square up a baseball is the rub. And the real reason why I didn't draft him.
In 72 at bats at AAA, he only hit one homer. Yet, was called up. He's never really known failure.
If he has a hard time at the top level, it'll be interesting to see how he handles it.
Last night he ran full bore down to first after grounding out to the pitcher. If only looking at that one snipet, you may think of him as a guy that hustles. A year ago after hitting the same ball, he threw his bat down in disgust and trotted down to first base.
Wedon't know what we'll get over the long haul.
I do know that it's too early to really judge one way or another.

It'll also be interesting to see how much rope the Nats give him.
The Nats have been very conservative in how they've handled their precious pitching prospects, limiting Zimmerman and Strasburg's innings and letting the public know well in advance.
At what point do they demote Harper if struggling? Are they 'stat-minded' ? Meaning, before he gets to Rookie of the Year qualifications.
All intriguing.

As folks watching, it's easy for us to judge players. Miggy shouldn't be drinking or Delmon shouldn't be drunk in a bar, but these are every day occurrences in real life. We all have friends that do the same thing.
We remember ourselves when we were 19. If Harper fails and does something stupid, I won't hold it against him.
Worse, if he succeeds and does something stupid, I won't hold it against him.
And, I won't be surprised either.
He's 19.