Baseball's LeBron James?

[Minstrel]

http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1156215/1/index.htm

Golf has Tiger Woods, basketball has LeBron James, hockey had Wayne Gretzky and military history had Alexander the Great, but baseball, like jazz, is a discipline that does not easily engender prodigies. Since 1967, only one player has hit a home run in the major leagues before his 19th birthday: Robin Yount of the '74 Milwaukee Brewers. The sport is so skill-specific that even the best, most physically mature young players typically must endure several levels of minor league apprenticeship to learn the game.

So good and so young is Bryce Harper, however, that he explodes baseball convention. He has hit the longest home run in the history of Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, and he did so in January, at age 16, with a blast that would have flown farther than the measured 502 feet had it not smashed off the back wall of the dome. Still only 16, Harper stands 6'3", weighs 205 pounds, has faster bat speed than Mark McGwire in his prime and runs so fast that he scored on wild pitches six times this season from second base. As a catcher he picks off runners from his knees, and when he pitches, he throws a fastball that has been clocked at 96 mph.

 

[Mamba]

Holy...Fuck...

HGH in his baby formula!

 

[Minstrel]

Holy...Fuck...

HGH in his baby formula!

If not, imagine how good he'll be when he reaches the major leagues and starts using steroids.

 

[DaRizzle]

I want this guy on my team when me and my friends play "Over the line" (like home run derby) on Thanksgiving mornings

 

[Денг Гордон]

What is steroids and HGH for 500.

 

[barfo]

http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1156215/1/index.htm

When he drives, he drives 300 mph. When he has sex with a teacher, the entire high school staff gets pregnant, even the men. When he talks to God, God asks him if he wants "fries with that".

barfo

 

[Minstrel]

Some footage of Harper, including the 502 foot homer in Tropicana Stadium.

[video=youtube;liS3kGvQ9Bk]

 

[DaRizzle]

ok...he hit the HR with a metal bat and DOES NOT throw out people from his knees

 

[LameR]

When he drives, he drives 300 mph. When he has sex with a teacher, the entire high school staff gets pregnant, even the men. When he talks to God, God asks him if he wants "fries with that".

barfo

Repped.

 

[Minstrel]

ok...he hit the HR with a metal bat

That was mentioned in the article. It's still completely ridiculous for a 16 year old.

and DOES NOT throw out people from his knees

How do you know? The video showed him doing drills with the Yankees. You don't throw from your knees in drills, you do it in games.

 

[Ed O]

I thought this was an April Fool's article at first. The kid has unbelievable tools at a very young age.

Of course, baseball requires so much more than just physical tools. Hopefully he can keep learning the game and be ready to make a splash in the bigs sometime soon.

Ed O.

 

[maxiep]

I thought this was an April Fool's article at first. The kid has unbelievable tools at a very young age.

Ed O.

Who was the George Plimpton creation? Was it Sid Finch or something like that?

 

[Minstrel]

I thought this was an April Fool's article at first. The kid has unbelievable tools at a very young age.

I know. Harper seems a bit ridiculous, like a player generated by a cheat in a video game. "Okay, a catcher who throws out base-runners like Pudge Rodriguez, hits like Mickey Mantle, runs like Rickey Henderson and can play any position. Oh and just for fun, give him a mid-90s fastball."

 

[Ed O]

Who was the George Plimpton creation? Was it Sid Finch or something like that?

Hehe. Yeah. Sidd Finch.

168 mph fastball.



Ed O.

 

[RR7]

And he'll have a bad back and hurt knees after 4 years in the majors. Better got him out from behind the plate now.