Bryce Harper: Washington Nationals, Johnson Wisely Option Harper to Triple-A

All speculation surrounding Bryce Harper’s chances at cracking the Nationals’ Opening Day roster was laid to rest on Sunday afternoon, as the organization optioned the 19-year-old to Triple-A Syracuse following an 11-7 loss to the Detroit Tigers.

After a 5-for-11 start to spring training, a strained left calf sidelined baseball’s most exciting prospect for more than a week. Upon his return on March 14, Harper’s timing at the plate seemed noticeably off, resulting in a 3-for-17 skid with nine strikeouts.  In his final spring training contest on Sunday, Harper was 1-for-5 with a double and four strikeouts.

Appearing in nine Grapefruit League games for the Nationals this spring, Harper batted .286 (8-for-28) with two doubles, two walks and 11 strikeouts while playing both center and right field.

As manager Davey Johnson told MLB.com’s David Heck following Sunday’s game, "I basically said to him, 'If I had you up here and you were 1-for-10, I would probably have people [saying we rushed you].' I don't want that hanging over us."

Now, I will be the first to admit that seeing Harper patrol the Nats’ outfield on Opening Day would be spectacular. But I agree with Johnson that sending him to Triple-A is the logical and necessary move, especially if he’s expected to be the team’s everyday center fielder—a position where he has only played 20 minor league games—when summoned later this summer.

There’s no point in prematurely forcing success out of a player who seems destined to be the face of baseball in a matter of years. Sure, Harper comes off as the cockiest player on the field—and for the most part, he absolutely is.  He even seems genuinely unmoved by the hatred that fans cast at him on a daily basis.

But is Harper impervious to the effects of a painful slump to begin his major league career?

Davey Johnson won’t let us find out just yet.

Even Harper acknowledged that his future skipper made the right decision.

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"I didn't want to go up there, go 2-for-15 and everybody is all over me and saying that he needs a little more seasoning," Harper told reporters after learning he was optioned to Triple-A. "I just want to go down there, get better, get on my groove, get on a streak, get called up and hope to be a game-changer for the Nationals."

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With a prospect of Harper’s magnitude, fans and skeptics alike will scrutinize his every move relentlessly, expecting immediate results while criticizing anything less. Therefore, it is imperative that Harper make his MLB debut when both he and the organization are thoroughly prepared.

After all, as Johnson conveyed to the media, the last thing you want to do is be held responsible for stunting his development.