Center of the Sports Universe

It has been reported that Las Vegas High School catcher, and most touted 16 year old in recent memory, Bryce Harper, is going to get his GED and enroll at the College of Southern Nevada so that he will be eligible for the 2010 draft. He is the clear choice for first overall next year, something the Washington Nationals should be salivating about.

Harper, who hit .626 with 14 home runs, 55 RBI, and 36 stolen bases as a high school sophomore this season, has plus tools across the board. He has power that is matched by few in the game, incredible speed (and not just for a cathcer), a plus arm, good recieving skills, and a passion for greatness. And yes, the rumored 570 foot homer he hit as a freshman was measured by crew members that took a measuring tape from the fence to across the street where the ball hit.

The Washington Nationals, if they continue to be the worst team in the majors, will have the luxury of the first overall pick and could end up with two of the most hyped and talented draft propsects of all-time in back-to-back drafts. There is concern, I’m sure, that Harper will want a signing bonus of over $10M with Scott Boras as his agent, but, let’s remember, Harper is leaving school early to enter the draft to play pro ball and not to threaten to go to a big-time university.

Will the Nationals dish out the money in back-to-back drafts and have Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper as their top two prospects? Time will only tell. But these two uber-prospects are the exact type of players, on their own, that you build a team around, and the Nats can have them both. Don’t mess this one up Nats!

-Jonathan C. Mitchell