Morning Links: Huntington on Harper

[buccoray61]

Morning Links: Huntington on Harper
By Chuck Finder | 12:40 a.m. Thursday


Neal Huntington was, well, spit-ballin'.

The general manager was not saying Saturday at PirateFest that ballyhooed Bryce Harper ranked No. 9, No. 10 or worse on their draft board. Rather, he was saying, while trying to be somewhat confidential, careful and diplomatic all at once, that the 17-year-old prospect is such an unfinished riddle that he and his scouting staff couldn't definitively assess right now where the kid should get selected in next June's draft.

In answering a question, Huntington stated that Harper is no Stephen Strasburg, the bonus-baby first pick last June by the Washington Nationals who hold that same slot come this summer. So the conspiracy theorists postulate, the Nationals might've withstood more than their fill of uber-agent Scott Boras and big bucks, therefore they could well pass on another client, Harper, and thus allow him to fall to . . . tympany, please. . . your Pirates.

The Everest-sized question implicit: Is Harper truly the first- or second-best prospect in the 2010 pool?

And Huntington answered: "There are light years' difference between the two players [Strasburg and Harper. Strasburg was perhaps] the best college pitcher ever. Not far from being ready to step into the [major-league] rotation. We like Bryce Harper. I can't sit here right now and tell you that Bryce Harper is in our top 10." Note: We added the italics, because Huntington raised his voice at that number. But we digress. . . "We like him a lot. There are a lot of questions. He's getting a lot of hype, he's getting a lot of publicity. I almost feel badly for the young man; he's got to live up to the billing [from a breathy Sports Illustrated cover and story last summer] of the next LeBron James. LeBron James is a one-in-a-million talent with a one-in-a-million maturity and a one-in-a-million player. That's an awful lot for a young man to live up to.

"We will scout Bryce Harper. We will put him on our board. . . . And if he's the right player for us to select, we'll go ahead and take him. .We're not going to select him because somebody thinks he's the best player in the history of the game and we think he's the ninth-best [in this draft]. We'll select the player we think is appropriate for us at our time. Then do it again when we pick in the second round. Do it again in the third round. Do it again in the fourth round. And we'll look up at the end of the 2010 draft, and my guess is one more time we'll be in the top of draft investment."

Basically, all Huntington guaranteed is that the Pirates will spend millions, maybe another nine like each of the past two summers.

Don't believe all the hype you read in SI or Baseball Almanac or whatever is your favorite, virtual bathroom wall. "I respect those publications, I respect what they do," Huntington said. But. . . "I'm going to trust our people every single day of the week." Come May, I'd like to hear what scouts from other teams have to say about Harper, who is only one weekend into a junior-college season playing on a College of Southern Nevada team with his older brother.Sorry, but for now I hear Bryce Harper, and I keep seeing Al Chambers of Harrisburg, Shawn Abner of Mechanicsburg, Chad Mottola (drafted in front of Derek Jeter), the Pirates' Mark Farris (drafted in front of Nomar Garciaparra). .

[BigBen2112]

I think I agree with NH here...I have said that the team would HAVE to draft him...and I still think that a TON of things will be said if they dont...and it will be about money etc...and I think that Harper's ability is great and his upside is great as well...but as a 17 year old who will be playing with his BROTHER...not even away from home really...I just dont think that is going to tell someone how good he'll be as a professional. When he mentioned Chad Mottola and Mark Farris I could relate.

[PittFaninVa]

I think I agree with NH here...I have said that the team would HAVE to draft him...and I still think that a TON of things will be said if they dont...and it will be about money etc...and I think that Harper's ability is great and his upside is great as well...but as a 17 year old who will be playing with his BROTHER...not even away from home really...I just dont think that is going to tell someone how good he'll be as a professional. When he mentioned Chad Mottola and Mark Farris I could relate.

Wouldn't you agree the prospect status of Harper could change drastically between now and the end of his JC season?

[BigBen2112]

Wouldn't you agree the prospect status of Harper could change drastically between now and the end of his JC season?

I think it could only change for the worse...I think even if he dominates...at a JC around his family...it still wont be enough...if he struggles though, obviously, it hurts him.

[PittFaninVa]

I think it could only change for the worse...I think even if he dominates...at a JC around his family...it still wont be enough...if he struggles though, obviously, it hurts him.

Then you agree?

[BigBen2112]

Then you agree?

I agree with Huntington, just like I said I did...I also agree with you that the thoughts on him could change...but only for the worst in my mind.

[PittFaninVa]

I agree with Huntington, just like I said I did...I also agree with you that the thoughts on him could change...but only for the worst in my mind.

You don't think Harper would enhance his prospect status if he crushes a higher level of competition?

[Daskid]

You don't think Harper would enhance his prospect status if he crushes a higher level of competition?

I think that's the expectation. Given the hype I'm not sure his status could be much higher. I think he's already a virtual lock as a very high pick. Maybe he cements himself as a concensus number one, but there's not much room to go up, only down. I think Benny is right in that sense.

But I'm not sure I'd read too much into his being near family. This kid is going to be unter a ton of pressure to perform. His mental toughness will be challenged.

[Kipper]

I agree with Huntington, just like I said I did...I also agree with you that the thoughts on him could change...but only for the worst in my mind.

See, I disagree. Just about most baseball people and scouts aren't as high on Harper as Sports Illustrated is. I fully believe Benny that you have bought into the Harper hype, but you are by far the number 1 person that I would expect to bye into hype, you always have... which is fine... just that the rest of baseball hasn't and that's what Huntington is really talking about. Nobody really knows where Harper is going to go and some respected baseball people have Harper slotted below where we pick at the early stages. (I have seen it mentioned that Harper is at #5 on someone's list at BP, I think I've seen #9 thrown out there).

Basically just like NH, Harper isn't in the same league as Strasburg and that's he's not a consensus #1 pick already by baseball minds (not SI) tells me that he's not this can't miss guy that the Pirates need to sign.

Wants sad and pathetic is that in some of my readings around the net world I'm already finding a TON of so-called "Pirates fans" already making Harper out to be exactly what some schmuck from Sports illustrated attempted to make him out to be so that they can have a good reason to ***** about Bob Nutting and Neal Huntington if the Pirates don't draft Harper (which I believe is pretty likely to be honest)

[wvkeeper]

Harper reads to me as baseball's version of Todd Marinovich.

[Kipper]

Harper reads to me as baseball's version of Todd Marinovich.

Ooooooh... good one. although I don't think Harper will have the drug problem

[BigBen2112]

See, I disagree. Just about most baseball people and scouts aren't as high on Harper as Sports Illustrated is. I fully believe Benny that you have bought into the Harper hype, but you are by far the number 1 person that I would expect to bye into hype, you always have... which is fine... just that the rest of baseball hasn't and that's what Huntington is really talking about. Nobody really knows where Harper is going to go and some respected baseball people have Harper slotted below where we pick at the early stages. (I have seen it mentioned that Harper is at #5 on someone's list at BP, I think I've seen #9 thrown out there).

Basically just like NH, Harper isn't in the same league as Strasburg and that's he's not a consensus #1 pick already by baseball minds (not SI) tells me that he's not this can't miss guy that the Pirates need to sign.

Wants sad and pathetic is that in some of my readings around the net world I'm already finding a TON of so-called "Pirates fans" already making Harper out to be exactly what some schmuck from Sports illustrated attempted to make him out to be so that they can have a good reason to ***** about Bob Nutting and Neal Huntington if the Pirates don't draft Harper (which I believe is pretty likely to be honest)

See my post early on in this thread for clarification of what you quoted me as saying.

[BigBen2112]

You don't think Harper would enhance his prospect status if he crushes a higher level of competition?

I really doubt it...I think that some see him as the #1 overall player and some dont. If he succeeds the first will be proven correct while the latter truthfully may not be (because of things I have mentioned...and as NH has mentioned). Furthermore, if other top draft picks to be also perform really well then I doubt that Harper gains either way...I think he has more to lose than to gain.

[jnn123]

Harper reads to me as baseball's version of Todd Marinovich.

Does this mean Troy Polamalu is going to start training with Harper's dad?

[Kipper]

See my post early on in this thread for clarification of what you quoted me as saying.

What are you saying Benny? To me it sounds like you are trying to cover every angle and you can't do that.

DO you think Harper is the best player in the draft? and why?

Do you know that most of baseball is not as high on Bryce Harper as Sports Illustrated and random Pirates fans that have bought the hype?

DO you think that if the Nationals don't draft him the Pirates should despite there perhaps not being a consensus #2 (if possible).

I'll think of more questions.

If you don't answer :

No
Ignore or spin
Yes

Then my previous post stands and I don't need to reread what you previously posted