Players all around Major League Baseball are starting to throw their support behind Bryce Harper and his desire to infuse some fun into the sport.
Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig, one of the most eccentric (for lack of a better term) players in the game, said during a recent interview with Marly Rivera of ESPN the Magazine that Harper is now his “idol.”
“Bryce Harper is my idol now. I’m going to join him in the ‘make baseball fun again’ campaign; I’m just waiting to get my shirts and baseball caps,” Puig said. “He’s always been a great friend and a great athlete, and I admire him. I like how he plays the game, and I think he gets it. It’s good to see an American player saying that there needs to be a little more fun in baseball. Fans leave everything behind to come and see us play. We have to make baseball fun for the fans and not take everything so personal.”
We don’t know if Puig is serious about idolizing Harper, but he most certainly wants to make baseball fun again. In fact, Puig sometimes has a little too much fun for the Dodgers’ liking, which was the case when he wanted to purchase this new toy and was told he shouldn’t.
Puig isn’t the only one. On Friday, Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto did a jump celebration with a teammate (video here) and later said he was also taking Harper’s advice. Old school players are not going to like this movement.
H/T Hardball Talk
