Strasburg Throws Heat at Bryce Harper

Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper could easily become the faces of the Washington Nationals for many years to come if they live up to the hype that has surrounded them already.  Despite giving Nationals fans a slight scare with his shoulder problem this season, Strasburg has already exceeded expectations.  The 17-year-old Harper, on the other hand, has yet to sign with Washington while a deadline of midnight on Monday looms.

Considering Scott Boras represents both Strasburg and Harper, we might expect Strasburg to be supportive of Harper’s contract situation.  That doesn’t seem to be the case.  Here are the strong words Strasburg had for Harper when asked if he had any advice for the 17-year-old, courtesy of the Washington Post:

I don’t have any advice for him,” Strasburg said. “It’s his decision. If he wants to play here, he’s going to play here. He doesn’t need advice from anyone to confirm his views. If he doesn’t want to play here, then we don’t want him here. That’s the bottom line.”

Perhaps this is a reflection of Harper’s notoriously poor attitude and ego that some say is as evident as his raw talent.  The surprising thing is Strasburg waited until the last second to sign his deal as well, so the tone he used seems a little hypocritical.  What he said makes sense and he’s not saying he doesn’t want Harper to join the team, but I would have expected an answer more along the lines of, “working on a contract can be a complicated situation,” rather than the approach he took.  It just gives us slightly more evidence to support the claim that Harper’s attitude could become a problem at some point in his career.

Sources:
SbB Live
Stephen Strasburg’s strong words for Bryce Harper [Washington Post]