Bryce Harper Here to Stay?

Bryce Harper was expected to make an impact, just not in DC.  Not yet.  Though he impressed in spring training, manager Davey Johnson sent him to AAA Syracuse and GM Mike Rizzo was adamant that he would remain in the minors for the majority of the season.  Yet, Harper was called up on April 27 and on the next day, he made his major league debut against the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Since then, Harper has been one of the few consistent bats on a lineup desperate for some offense.

Harper was brought up because the Nationals have been plagued by injuries all season.  When Ryan Zimmerman went down, the Nationals had little choice but to bring in the young star and hope he could manage the major leagues for a few games.  Thirty-two games later, Harper is still here.  Again, perhaps the team would have sent him back to the minors if the injuries did not continue to decimate the roster.  Michael Morse has played only two games, Zimmerman has lingering shoulder issues, and Jayson Werth and Mark DeRosa are both on the disabled list.  Right now, the team just cannot afford to send Harper back down to the minors.

Even if they had the depth, I’m not sure the team would want to send him back.  Harper has made the most of his time in the majors with a .288 batting average, .380 on base percentage, and a .542 slugging percentage, all of which are among the team’s best.  He has also hit five home runs and has two stolen bases, including a home plate steal in the infamous Cole Hamels game.  Perhaps most importantly, he has shown maturity not common of a 19 year old.  With his sometimes checkered past, maturity was a major concern, but he has handled himself well.

So is Bryce Harper here to stay?  It certainly would be hard to send him back, even with a full roster.  While the Nationals have one of the most formidable pitching lineups in the league, they have struggled at the plate.  The team ranks 24^th in the league in batting average and 26^th in runs scored.  Harper is one of the team’s best hitters.  While the team traditionally does not like rushing players into the majors, they would have a hard time justifying sending him back to Syracuse.  Perhaps Rizzo believes he would benefit from more time in the minors, but he’s shown he’s ready for major league pitchers.  No doubt he will have his struggles when pitchers learn how to pitch to him and then we’ll see what kind of player he is.  For now, I’m just thankful the Nationals have found someone who can hit to make sure all of that great pitching doesn’t go to waste.