Bryce Harper: Will He Be Even More Marketable Than Stephen Strasburg?

The Washington Nationals have been lucky enough—or unlucky enough—to have the first overall pick in two consecutive seasons.

With those two picks they selected arguably the two best prospects in baseball history.

Stephen Strasburg, the first overall pick of the 2009 draft, has the potential to be the best pitcher in all of baseball. His career statistics up to this point prove it.

He's 6-4 over 17 career starts with an ERA of 2.54. In 92 innings, he's struck out 116 while walking just 19. If that's not enough for you, his career WHIP is 0.97.

He's really, really good.

Bryce Harper, the first overall pick of the 2010 draft, has the potential to be the best pure hitter in baseball.

Harper has yet to see time at the major league level, but he's performed well in two spring trainings. Combined, he's recorded a line of .326/.380/.435 with five doubles and five RBI.

Manager Davey Johnson is a huge fan of Harper's, and he even pulled for him to make the Opening Day roster. Harper was instead sent down to Triple-A Syracuse to work on becoming a center fielder.

He'll definitely be with the big club at some point this season.

With two such high-profile young stars on the roster, the Nationals are in great shape for the future. On the field, both are expected to produce at a high level for at least the next decade.

Strasburg did wonders for the Nationals from a business standpoint. The team can only hope that Harper will do the same. Actually, he may even be more marketable than the future ace.

Prior to Strasburg's major league debut on June 8, 2010 at home against the Pirates, the Nationals averaged 21,560 in attendance.

With him on the mound, the Nationals sold 87 percent more tickets. The stadium was filled at 96 percent of capacity, good for a total attendance of 40,315. 

The team had more than 30,000 in attendance for each of his next home starts that season.

Harper has arguably received even more hype than Strasburg in his first few years as a professional, mostly because he was a household name several years before he was even drafted.

After putting on a display at Tropicana Field in the 2009 Power Showcase, Harper became a YouTube star. A 502-foot home run is incredible for any age player, but when a 16-year-old hits the world record home run for a major league stadium, people notice.

Harper is also an everyday player. That fact alone makes him an invaluable asset to the Nationals.

Sure, seeing attendance spike up every five days for Strasburg's starts was great for a club struggling with attendance numbers. With Harper, though, the Nationals could see their attendance numbers reach at least 35,000 per game with the potential for more.

Aside from an attendance standpoint, Harper is the more marketable option for a few other reasons.

Harper has much more of a personality than Strasburg. That's not to say that Strasburg is boring or a bad interview, but Harper's ego makes him much more of an interesting character.

Although it sometimes comes across as cockiness, Harper's confidence makes him an exciting player to watch. He has that natural swagger every time he walks into the batter's box, and he more often than not shows why he has the right to be confident.

While fans will rally behind Strasburg because of his outstanding pitching, many more fans will back Harper because of his personality—similar to how fans love Nick Swisher, Logan Morrison and Brian Wilson.

It's impossible to predict who will be the more productive major leaguer at this point in their respective careers, but it's a pretty easy decision as to who the team should focus their marketing strategy on.

Harper is already a household name, he plays everyday and has a great personality. All those qualities make him the better marketing option for the Nationals.