Bryce Harper: Washington Nationals Option Star Prospect to Triple-A

The prodigy has to wait.

Bryce Harper had a shot to win a spot on the 25-man big league roster for the Washington Nationals at the beginning of spring training, but it looks like he’ll have to wait.

CSN Nats reporter Mark Zuckerman confirmed that the 19-year-old sensation has officially been optioned to Triple-A Syracuse to begin the season.

The decision was hardly a shocker. Harper registered a mere 37 games in Double-A Harrisburg last summer as he quickly rose through the farm system.

While he displayed the raw talent that shows why scouts are so high on him, he was far from a polished player. Harper needs reps, and forcing him into action now would not be beneficial for his development.

The key is allowing him to get 200-300 plate appearances in Syracuse and then see where his production is at that point.

He started out on fire in the Grapefruit League, collecting five hits in 11 at-bats. But then a mild calf strain caused him to miss a week of action, that’s when the struggles began. In the past five days he was just 3-for-17 at the plate and had struck out nine times.

On Sunday, he hit a low point against the Tigers when he struck out in his first four plate appearances. Overall, Harper hit .286 (8-for-28) with two doubles, zero RBI, two walks and 11 strikeouts.

The 2010 No. 1 overall pick has certainly made significant strides as he transitions from catcher to outfield, but he still struggles to get a strong jump on the ball. That’s something he’ll learn while not dealing with the immense pressure that comes with being on the big-league roster.

Zuckerman reports that manager Davey Johnson plans on getting Harper “quality at-bats” at some point this year.

We’ll check back with Harper in about mid-May.

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