Bryce Harper: Baseball's LeBron?

Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Andy LaRoche graduated from high school after the fall semester of his senior year, and he went to play at Grayson County (Texas) Junior College and he had just turned 17 years old. It doesn't look like that decision hurt his career too much.

 

[blue]Sounds like he could either pursue a career as an MLB catcher or a career in porn movies.

 

Of course having Dave LaRoche as a dad didn't hurt.

 

Just my $.02:

If the goal for this kid and his parents is to cash in on a big payday before he gets hurt playing his final 2 years in HS, more power to them. If the goal is a long-term MLB career, during which he'll conceivably be paid multiples of his original bonus, this move is sheer lunacy.

Anyone who has either played or covered any level of pro ball knows there's no way a 16-year-old kid (even an f-ing stud) is physically ready for the grind of catching more than 100 games every year. Not to mention the psychological demands of living away from home for the first time and trying to live up to what will most likely be a fat bonus. To me, such a scenario seems like setting the kid up for failure/injury/substance abuse.

I really wish more parents would get a grip when it comes to their athletic "prodigies." I've seen so many kids burn out because they've been pushed to specialize in their best sport, it makes me sick to my stomach. My 11-year-old is already 5-foot-8, 160 pounds and has hit 65 mph on a gun, and he's left-handed, but my wife and I have resisted all attempts by AAU coaches to turn him into a baseball robot. He spends most of the summer at the pool, goofing around with his friends, plays football in the fall and basketball in the winter. Even if he never becomes the next "Chosen One," I'll be quite satisfied with him having a happy, normal, enjoyable adolescence.

 

What a jerk. [/crossthread]

 

Brilliance. Sheer brilliance. Best post I've read in a long time. I'm in total agreement with you about the sports gravy train. It's leaving the station for sure.

Back to the Bryce issue, he sounds like he's been pushed all his life. I feel sorry for these kids in that they are being force-fed sports so much that it's very difficult for them to get any sort of enjoyment out of them. My parents supported my sporting endeavors, but they also made sure I got piano lessons and read plenty of books to make me a more well-rounded individual capable of doing more than just throwing a ball 96 mph into a strike zone (not that I can throw a fastball at 96 mph).

It's a shame. I really don't like how SI is putting enormous pressure on this kid to fulfill the hype. It's far better to exceed low expectations spectacularly than just merely rise to the level of your hype.

 

1. The win-loss percentage on phenoms is about .500. For every A-Rod or Junior, there's a Clint Hurdle or Clint Hartung. We'll see where Bryce winds up.
SI has had a bad habit of putting alleged "next immortal" high school athletes on the cover for decades. James Hardy, the Utah kid who wound up playing tight end for the Dolphins, Bobby Carpenter, who had a decent NFL career.
I wonder if they wrote this story because the family told 'em "we're coming to you first, but we do have ESPN's number"?

 

Michael.. who cares? There were two more cover-worthy stories in that issue of SI than the one they used. The one on the offensive lineman and the one of Holdsclaw.

 

This is addressed in the story. Strasburg wasn't even drafted out of high school. According to scouts quoted in the story, if Harper were eligible for the draft this year, he's be a top-5 pick at worst.

 

Not to nit pick but it's Bruce Hardy.

 

Boom, you're right. I wonder who James Hardy is and why he was in my mind.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=11275

James Hardy