If Bryce Harper didn't already have the attention of the baseball world after his performance on Wednesday afternoon against the Miami Marlins, then he absolutely demanded your attention after his exploits on Friday night. The mercurial 22-year old (!!!) was at it again on Friday, belting two home runs against the Atlanta Braves as he and the rest of the Washington Nationals sauntered to a 9-2 victory.
Say hey, baseball: Bryce Harper is clearly the real deal
Saturday’s baseball includes Bryce Harper demanding the attention of the baseball world, Cleveland threatening to cancel their subscription to a big magazine, another ace going down to Tommy John surgery, and trying to figure out if Twinkies can indeed go stale. Subscribe for your daily Say Hey!
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What made this achievement so special (aside from the fact that, dude, home runs are cool) is the fact that Harper is now the youngest player to hit five homers over a two-game span. That put him in the company of guys like Mark McGwire and Ralph Kiner. Needless to say, that’s good company to keep. It’s a pretty big deal when comparisons to players like that go from a “Wow, his look reminds me of ...” to “Wow, his numbers are actually on par with ...” since it really begins to drive home the fact that a guy like Harper could be really good if he keeps this up.
There’s been plenty of talk about whether Harper had something to prove, or what his career trajectory would be, or even if we all should continue paying more attention to Harper. Judging by these past two games, it appears that Harper is indeed ready to prove something. He’s ready to prove that 2014 was just a blip on the radar, and that if you were impressed by his first two seasons, then you haven’t seen anything yet. If you’ve still got doubts about Harper, then those doubts should be fading away pretty quickly as this season progresses.
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- Joey Votto has been suspended for a game after getting ejected and bumping the umpire on Wednesday night. Our friends over at Red Reporter tried to figure out what exactly set off the face of the Cincinnati Reds.
- Sports Illustrated wrote about Cleveland's bad defense so far this season. Let's just say that the folks in Cleveland didn't approve.
- Another big-time pitching prospect will be making his debut soon; Noah Syndergaard will be pitching for the New York Mets on Tuesday.
- Instead of continuing rehab on his arm, Tampa Bay Rays ace Alex Cobb has elected to have Tommy John Surgery and will be out until late 2016.
- If you're a visual type of learner, then Fangraphs' latest look at defensive metrics should be amazing for you.
- Carlos Beltran has been scuffling out there this season, and that prompted our friends at Pinstripe Alley to start looking at potential replacements for the longtime veteran.
- The Boston Red Sox have had a "perplexing" offseason and it's already starting to catch up with them.
- Minnesota's good start has got people buzzing about the Twins. But can it last?
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