Bryce Harper

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Washington Nationals #1 prospect in 2012
  The most hyped position-player prospect in baseball history, Harper has met or exceeded sky-high expectations at every stop in his short career. After establishing himself as a can't-miss phenom early in his high school career, Harper earned his general equivalency diploma and skipped his final two years at Las Vegas High so he could enroll early at JC of Southern Nevada, where he won the Golden Spikes Award as the nation's top amateur player in 2010. After being selected first overall that June and signing a $9.9 million major league contract--the largest ever given to a position player in the draft, and which included a $6.25 million bonus--Harper got his feet wet in the Arizona Fall League. He made his official pro debut as an 18-year-old in low Class A last April, and tore up the South Atlantic League in the first half. He got his first taste of adversity after skipping to Double-A Harrisburg at midseason, enduring a 1-for-25 slump, but bounced back to finish with respectable numbers. A hamstring injury cut his season two weeks short, but he recovered in time to head back to the AFL. Harper's power and arm strength both rate as 80s on the 20-80 scouting scale. He has incredible strength in his hands and generates enormous torque in his lefthanded swing, allowing him to smash massive drives to all fields. Harper has some extra movement in his swing and sometimes jumps out on his front foot too early, but when he stays down and lets the ball travel, he sees pitches well and can drive them hard to the opposite field. Double-A lefthanders limited him to a .167 average and one homer in 48 at-bats, but he hit them well at Hagerstown and shouldn't have a massive platoon split. Harper draws plenty of walks and has the ability to be an above-average or better hitter as he matures, though some scouts think he may strike out out too much to hit for a high average. He's learning to stay under control when he throws, just as when he's in the batter's box. Primarily a catcher as an amateur, Harper played all three outfield positions during his pro debut. He learned the importance of staying closed and using his legs when he throws, and he racked up seven assists in just 37 Double-A games after registering six in 68 games with Hagerstown. Currently an above-average runner, Harper plays with youthful aggression in the outfield and on the basepaths, and his reads are getting better in both facets. He has the speed and instincts to steal bases, though he's still learning when he should run. Many evaluators think Harper will lose a step and wind up in right field once he matures physically, though the Nationals believe he has a chance to stick in center field. He's a tireless worker who loves to play the game, though sometimes his cockiness rubs opponents the wrong way. Harper looks like a sure-fire superstar in the making, and he has a very real chance to develop into the best all-around player in baseball. He figures to start the 2012 season back at Harrisburg or perhaps at Triple-A Syracuse if he dazzles in spring training, and he could slug his way to Washington before season's end.
• 
  Ranked Washington Nationals #1 prospect in 2011
  Harper was already established as a phenom before Sports Illustrated dubbed him Baseball's Chosen One on its cover in June 2009--when he had just completed sophomore year in high school and was 16 years old. Since then, he has been confronted with gargantuan expectations everywhere he has gone, yet he has managed to exceed even the loftiest projections. In the fall of 2009, Harper earned his general equivalency diploma so he could skip his final two seasons at Las Vegas High and enroll early at the JC of Southern Nevada. Playing in a wood bat conference, he destroyed the school record and led national juco players with 31 homers while hitting .443/.526/.987 with 20 steals in 24 tries. He led the Coyotes to a third-place finish at the Junior College World Series, showcasing his athleticism by playing right field, center field and third base in addition to his primary high school position of catcher. Harper was a slam-dunk choice for the Golden Spikes Award as the nation's top amateur player and the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. He signed right before the Aug. 16 deadline for a $9.9 million major league contract (the largest ever given to a position player in the draft) that included a $6.25 million bonus (the third-highest in draft history). After moving to right field full-time during instructional league, Harper faced much older competition yet again in the Arizona Fall League, where he hit .343/.410/.629 with one homer in 35 at-bats as a taxi-squad player. Harper's raw tools are freakish. His power rates as a legitimate 80 tool on the 20-80 scouting scale. There are plenty of stories and videos of him hitting 500-foot homers, and he has the ability to easily backspin the ball over the fence to any part of the park. Harper is incredibly intense and aggressive in all phases of the game, including at the plate. Some scouts wonder if he'll hit for a high average because of his propensity to take huge swings, often with an exaggerated leg kick, and get jumpy at the plate. But at other times he shows a much quieter, more efficient swing. Those flashes, coupled with his uncanny hand-eye coordination and irreproachable work ethic, give other scouts reason to believe he'll eventually become more selective and produce for average as well as power. Harper has shown 95 mph heat off the mound in the past, and his accurate outfield arm gives him a second 80 tool. His slightly above-average speed plays up on the basepaths because he's extremely aggressive at taking the extra base. He's still refining his routes and reads in right field, but he has the athleticism and instincts to be a plus defender there. He has impressed the Nationals by hustling to put himself in position to back up plays. The most hyped prospect in draft history, Harper has superstar potential, and it's hard to find an evaluator who thinks he'll fall short of that ceiling. He's also incredibly advanced for an 18-year-old, and a strong spring could put him in position to jump right to high Class A Potomac to make his professional debut. He won't start any lower than low Class A Hagerstown. A realistic big league ETA for Harper is 2013 when he'll be just 20.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Arizona Fall League #1 prospect in 2011
  Harper's second AFL season got off to a slow start, as the 19-year-old went 3 for 27 in the first two weeks of the season. But he hit .424 with six home runs over the rest of the season to finish at .333/.400/.634. Harper, with his game-changing hitting skills and jaw-dropping raw power, is still the top prospect in baseball and ranks as the AFL's best for the second straight year. He made steady progress with his pitch selection during the fall, helping lead to a 16-game hitting streak, and scouts were impressed with the ease with which he does everything on the field. Because of the presence of other highly-rated and speedy outfielders on the Scorpions squad, Harper played more often in left field, which he played for 37 games in Double-A this year, and at times looked uncomfortable and/or indifferent in the field.
• 
  Ranked South Atlantic League #1 prospect in 2011
  As perhaps the most heralded minor leaguer ever, Harper had nowhere to go but down. Instead, he broke through any glass ceilings while displaying exceptional hitting and power prowess as good as advertised. He punishes lefthanders and righthanders, fastballs and offspeed pitches, using his excellent bat speed and hand-eye coordination to make consistent hard contact to all fields. Primarily a catcher as an amateur, Harper converted to the outfield and put in time to improve his routes on flyballs. With slightly above-average speed and a cannon arm, he has all the tools to become a good right fielder and might be able to handle center. Aside from a well-documented incident where he blew a kiss to the pitcher after a homer against Greensboro, his makeup came off as intense more than immature. "He's a kid who really worked hard here," Hagerstown manager Brian Daubach said. "He was going through a position change and his first full year of pro ball and did a good job of adjusting to the mental grind of playing every day. The sky's the limit, no doubt."
• 
  Ranked Eastern League #1 prospect in 2011
  The league's youngest player by 15 months, Harper overcame the first extended slump of his pro career, a 1-for-25 slide, to finish with more than respectable numbers. A hamstring injury ended his season two weeks early, but he made a strong impression in his short time. Harper has excellent strength and bat speed and near-legendary power. He refined his two-strike mindset and learned to spread out and let balls travel deeper, an approach that culminated with a game-winning, 450-foot homer over the batter's eye in center field against Trenton on Aug. 12. He does have some excessive movement in his swing that gives scouts and managers pause while grading his hit tool, though his fearsome presence ensures that he'll draw plenty of walks. A former catcher who played center and right field in low Class A, Harper moved to left field for the first time when he got to Harrisburg. He made quick adjustments after some early struggles, using his plus-plus arm to pick up seven assists in 37 games. He also has slighty above-average speed and an intense nature on the bases and on defense. "He's a throwback with off-the-charts ability," Erie manager Cris Cron said. "He has it all and has it at such an early age. He flat-out attacks the ball with a very solid approach. He's figured it out so early in his life, when it takes some a lifetime. I love the aggressiveness to his game"
• 
  Ranked Arizona Fall League #1 prospect in 2010
  What else can be said about Harper that hasn't been completely documented by every news outlet covering baseball? Joining the Scottsdale Scorpions just after his 18th birthday, the 2010 No. 1 overall draft pick quickly proved that he was not overmatched by the older competition. He hit .343/.410/.629 with six of his 12 hits going for extra bases. He showed plus-plus power both in batting practice and in games, with an ability to hit to the opposite field. He was susceptible to good curveballs but showed an ability to make in-game adjustments. His attacks the ball and at times his swing was overly aggressive--not surprising since as a taxi squad member Harper got to play only twice a week. He showed good routes to fly balls and a plus arm in the outfield. If there were any doubts about Harper being ready to make his regular-season debut in full-season ball next year, he put those to rest with his AFL performance.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #1 prospect in 2012
• Ranked Baseball America's #1 prospect in 2011

• December, 2011 Scouting Report
  Background: The most hyped position player prospect in draft history, Harper has met or exceeded sky-high expectations at every stop in his short career. After establishing himself as a can't-miss phenom early in his high school career, Harper earned his general equivalency diploma and skipped his final two years at Las Vegas High so he could enroll early at JC of Southern Nevada, where he won the Golden Spikes Award as the nation's top amateur player in 2010. After being selected first overall that June and signing a $9.9 million major league contract--the largest ever given to a position player in the draft, and which included a $6.25 million bonus--Harper got his feet wet in the Arizona Fall League. He made his official pro debut as an 18-year-old in low Class A last April, and tore up the South Atlantic League in the first half. He got his first taste of adversity after skipping to Double-A Harrisburg at midseason, enduring a 1-for-25 slump, but bounced back to finish with respectable numbers. A hamstring injury cut his season two weeks short, but he recovered in time to head back to the AFL. Scouting Report: Harper's power and arm strength both rate as 80s on the 20-80 scouting scale. He has incredible strength in his hands and generates enormous torque in his lefthanded swing, allowing him to smash massive drives to all fields. Harper has some extra movement in his swing and sometimes jumps out on his front foot too early, but when he stays down and lets the ball travel, he sees pitches well and can drive them hard to the opposite field. He improved his two-strike approach as the season progressed. Double-A lefthanders limited him to a .167 average and one homer in 48 at-bats, but he hit them well at Hagerstown and shouldn't have a massive platoon split. Harper draws plenty of walks and has the ability to be an above-average or better hitter as he matures, though some scouts think he may strike out too much to hit for a high average. He's learning to stay under control when he throws, just as when he's in the batter's box. Primarily a catcher as an amateur, Harper played all three outfield positions in his pro debut. He learned the importance of staying closed and using his legs when he throws, and he racked up seven assists in just 37 Double-A games while seeing his first action in left field. Currently an above-average runner, Harper plays with youthful aggression in the outfield and on the basepaths, and his reads are getting better in both facets. He has the speed and instincts to steal bases, though he's still learning when he should run. Many evaluators think Harper will lose a step and wind up in right field once he matures physically, though the Nationals believe he has a chance to stick in center field. He's a tireless worker who loves to play the game, though sometimes his cockiness rubs opponents the wrong way. The Future: Harper looks like a sure-fire superstar in the making, and he has a very real chance to develop into the best all-around player in baseball. He figures to start 2012 back at Harrisburg or perhaps at Triple-A Syracuse if he dazzles in the spring, and he could slug his way to Washington before season's end.
• August, 2011 Scouting Report
  Harper's second AFL season got off to a slow start, as the 19-year-old went 3 for 27 in the first two weeks of the season. But he hit .424 with six home runs over the rest of the season to finish at .333/.400/.634. Harper, with his game-changing hitting skills and jaw-dropping raw power, is still the top prospect in baseball and ranks as the AFL's best for the second straight year. He made steady progress with his pitch selection during the fall, helping lead to a 16-game hitting streak, and scouts were impressed with the ease with which he does everything on the field. Because of the presence of other highly-rated and speedy outfielders on the Scorpions squad, Harper played more often in left field, which he played for 37 games in Double-A this year, and at times looked uncomfortable and/or indifferent in the field.
• August, 2010 Scouting Report
  What else can be said about Harper that hasn't been completely documented by every news outlet covering baseball? Joining the Scottsdale Scorpions just after his 18th birthday, the 2010 No. 1 overall draft pick quickly proved that he was not overmatched by the older competition. He hit .343/.410/.629 with six of his 12 hits going for extra bases. He showed plus-plus power both in batting practice and in games, with an ability to hit to the opposite field. He was susceptible to good curveballs but showed an ability to make in-game adjustments. His attacks the ball and at times his swing was overly aggressive--not surprising since as a taxi squad member Harper got to play only twice a week. He showed good routes to fly balls and a plus arm in the outfield. If there were any doubts about Harper being ready to make his regular-season debut in full-season ball next year, he put those to rest with his AFL performance.