Stephen Strasburg. Bryce Harper. Both have been in the limelight for the past year. Both were No. 1 overall draft picks by the Washington Nationals. Strasburg made his Major League debut Tuesday night, and Harper was drafted Monday night.
Both stars have very promising futures and both will play together as Washington Nationals. They are both bright young prospects that are expected to make the Nationals a winning team. Both are expected to be successful, but who will have more success?
Strasburg had one of the most anticipated debuts ever Tuesday night and he certainly lived up to the hype. Strasburg pitched seven innings, gave up four hits, and allowed two earned runs while striking out 14 in a win over the Pirates. Strasburg’s major league debut came after he made 11 starts in the minors that were just as impressive as his major league debut. In the minor leagues he had a 7-2 record with an ERA of 1.30.
Bryce Harper is just 17 years old, but has already been referred to as “The Chosen One” on the cover of Sports Illustrated last year. He holds the record for the longest home run hit at Tropicana Field in Tampa, Florida. Harper also hit a 570-foot home run while in high school.
Harper has been such an impressive prospect for so long that he left high school after his sophomore year, by receiving his GED, so that he could enroll in junior college. This would allow Harper to enter the draft sooner.
At the College of Southern Nevada, the young catcher (who was drafted to be an outfielder) hit .443 with 31 home runs and 98 RBI. He was named the Scenic West Athletic Conference MVP and broke multiple school and conference records. He also led the team in steals with 18.
In the regional championship game Harper hit four home runs and had 10 RBI.
The future looks bright for Harper, Strasburg, and the Nationals. Whether Strasburg or Harper is more successful doesn’t really matter for Nationals fans as they will benefit from both.
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