The Bad Side of Bryce Harper

We’ve talked about the good side of MLB prospect Bryce Harper, like when he went 6-for-6 with four home runs in a game. Unfortunately, it’s been well documented that the 17-year-old phenom also has a bad side, that being his cocky attitude. This side was clearly on display Wednesday at the JUCO World Series when Harper got tossed for showing up an umpire. Here’s the Bryce Harper ejection video:

In an April article on Baseball Prospectus, Kevin Goldstein had these cautionary words about Harper:

It’s impossible to find any talent evaluator who isn’t blown away by Harper’s ability on the field, but it’s equally difficult to find one who doesn’t genuinely dislike the kid. One scout called him among the worst amateur players he’s ever seen from a makeup standpoint, with top-of-the-scale arrogance, a disturbingly large sense of entitlement, and on-field behavior that includes taunting opponents. “He’s just a bad, bad guy,” said one front-office official. “He’s basically the anti-Joe Mauer.”

Harper acted like a jerk on Wednesday by drawing that line with his bat and flipping the dirt back at the umpire, showing him up. Yes the pitch was outside, but I definitely saw elements of the poor character mentioned above, and it should be noted that this is Harper’s second ejection this season (his first was for taunting). Harper probably is the best prospect in baseball and I still would take him with the number one pick if I were running the Nats, but I’m already not a fan. The kid may be talented as heck, but he needs to learn the lesson that “there’s always someone better than you.” Particularly at 17-years-old, Harper should realize there are many players better than him and that he doesn’t own the game.

Sources:
Bryce Harper ejected from JUCO World Series game, but Rizzo still likes his aura [Nationals Enquirer]