Bryce Harper is the latest to sound off on behalf of Kris Bryant.
Bryant is one of the top prospects in MLB (if not the top prospect), and the 2013 No. 2 pick by the Cubs is battling for a spot on the big league team. He certainly appears to have proven his case by clubbing six home runs in 20 at-bats during spring training, while hitting .450. That’s in addition to bashing 43 home runs in his first full season of pro ball last year, one in which he split time between Double and Triple-A.
After seeing that Bryant homered TWICE on Saturday, Harper sent the following tweet:
If @KrisBryant_23 doesn't make the big league team out of camp, then that's a joke! I see you doin your thing brotha! #VegasMade #TheTruth
— Bryce Harper (@Bharper3407) March 14, 2015
The tweet continues the trend of Harper supporting fellow Las Vegas athletes/teams, like he has done in the past.
The question of whether Bryant will open camp with the Cubs has been one of the most persistent ones all offseason and spring. The thinking has been that Chicago might keep Bryant down in the minors to start the season in order to delay his major league service time clock from beginning, which would keep him from reaching free agency a year early. The Nationals did the same thing to Harper, so he knows all about that practice.
While we understand the Cubs’ desire to prevent Bryant from reaching free agency a year early and potentially achieving “Super Two” status, keeping him in the minors to start the season could rob them of a difference-maker on their big league team. And with their stated goal of trying to win the division, you figure they would want to have their best lineup out there when the season begins. However, if keeping Bryant down in the minors for two weeks means they get him for an extra season, I think the math adds up there.
