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Bryce Harper

Odds And Ends: Harper, Pirates, Hanley

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Some links for Tuesday morning…

Odds And Ends: Crow, Willis, Bay

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More links for the afternoon…

  • Aaron Crow, the Royals' first round draft pick, told MLB.com's Rustin Dodd that this year, he's focused on completing a deal and beginning to play. Last year, he was drafted by the Nationals, but didn't sign.
  • Mike Hazen, the Red Sox Director of Player Personnel, told CMSB Media that the team has already begun working on the 2010 draft. Click the link to hear the entire interview. 
  • The most intriguing name in next year's draft class could be Bryce Harper. Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star says Harper should finish high school early if his "dream is to play pro ball, not flirt in homeroom."
  • Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press would like to see the Twins try to acquire Robb Quinlan from the Angels.
  • Steve Kornacki of MLive.com wonders whether the Tigers would release Dontrelle Willis and eat the remainder of this year's $10MM contract, plus the $12MM he's owed in 2010.
  • Brett Perryman of the Dallas Morning News says the Rangers' number one priority should be to prepare players within the organization to carry the Rangers to the playoffs in "2010 and on."
  • ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick says it's hard to imagine Jason Bay signing for less than $60MM over four years or $70MM over five.
  • Jeff Gordon includes Reggie Jackson, Orlando Hudson and David Ortiz on his list of the best ever free agent bargains at AskMen.com.
  • Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wonders what the Brewers will do with the slumping J.J. Hardy. 
  • MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports that the Astros have signed 22 of the players they drafted, including their second rounder, Tanner Bushue.
  • MLB.com's Mark Sheldon has a corresponding list for the Reds, who also signed their second rounder.

Olney On Wilson, Johan, Harper

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ESPN.com's Buster Olney says the Red Sox could take advantage of the shortage of teams willing to take on payroll by offering little more than salary relief to their trading partners. Rival executives told Olney that the Red Sox could offer to take on the salary owed to players like Jack Wilson, without including any highly touted prospects in proposed deals. Here are a couple more details from Olney's column:

  • It's looking more and more like Bryce Harper will be eligible for next year's draft and it's looking more and more like the Nationals will again select first. Olney wonders how the Nationals would cope with talks of record-setting deals for two straight years.
  • Olney shows that Johan Santana is throwing slower fastballs, and not as many of them. 
  • Cause for concern? Jon Heyman of SI.com asked a Mets "bigwig" and heard that the team is "not at all" worried about their ace pitcher.

Odds And Ends: Peavy, Acta, Harper

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Some links for Monday morning…

Bryce Harper Enrolls In Junior College

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According to Matt Youmans of The Las Vegas Review-Journal, 16-yr old phenom Bryce Harper has enrolled at the College of Southern Nevada, and plans to attend classes this August. He will also get his GED this fall. Because CSN is a two-year institution, the move allows Harper to be eligible for the 2010 draft rather than waiting for 2011, when he would graduate high school.

Harper was introduced to the masses in a SI feature last month, and at the moment is the odds on favorite to go first overall in either the 2010 or 2011 drafts.

Bryce Harper, 16-Year-Old Phenom

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Tom Verducci of SI.com introduces us to a 16-year-old so tantalizing multiple MLB scouting directors say he would be a top-five pick if eligible for this year's draft. Bryce Harper, a high school sophomore, has drawn comparisons to Justin Upton, Alex Rodriguez and Ken Griffey Jr.. The entire article's worth reading, but here are some of the reasons Harper's attracting so much attention:

  • He hit the longest home run in Tropicana Field history, at 502 feet.
  • He's reportedly hit balls as far as 570 feet. 
  • His throws have been clocked at 96 mph. 
  • He's fast enough to have scored from second on six wild pitches this year.   

Scott Boras is one of Harper's advisers, so look for big demands once he's drafted. That won't likely happen until 2011, but his parents would like Harper to be available in next year's draft. It would be hard not to think highly of your skill if you were labeled the "LeBron James of baseball," and Harper has no shortage of ambition.

  • He wants to reach the majors by the time he's 18 or 19.
  • Among his goals: "to be in the Hall of Fame" and to "be considered the greatest baseball player of all time."   

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