Kuzul

Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg was forced to leave Friday’s game against the Atlanta Braves with an undisclosed injury, according to ESPN senior baseball analyst Jim Bowden via Twitter:

UPDATE: Saturday, June 1, 1:09 p.m. ET by Kyle Vassalo

CBS’ Jon Heyman says Strasburg is still hopeful he will be good to go for his next start:

—End of update—

UPDATE: Friday, May 31, 10:55 p.m. ET by Ian Hanford

Washington Post reporter Adam Kilgore announced that Strasburg has a strained oblique:

—End of update—

UPDATE: Friday, May 31, at 9:30 p.m. ET by Ian Hanford

Washington Post reporter Adam Kilgore announced that Strasburg injured his back Friday night:

—End of update—

Strasburg, who reportedly looked “uncomfortable” early on, was pulled from the mound after just two innings pitched, according to the Washington Post‘s Adam Kilgore. 

The 24-year-old struck out two Braves batters, but he also gave up a home run to Freddie Freeman in the second inning before exiting the game.

Strasburg, who will turn 25 this July, has started 12 games for the Nationals this season, boasting a disappointing 3-5 record to start the year. A lack of run support from Washington’s bats has been a huge reason for the sluggish start, however.

The talented 6’4″, 220-pound ace lost five straight starts between April 7 and May 11 following a 1-0 start to the year. He went 2-1 in the month of May overall.

Strasburg sports a 2.54 ERA and 1.06 WHIP through the first two months of the season.

The San Diego native has played four seasons in Washington, excelling last season for the National League East division champions. He started 28 games and posted a 15-6 record with a 3.16 ERA. Strasburg did not pitch for Washington in the postseason, though, after being shut down by manager Davey Johnson in early September.

An All-Star in 2012, Strasburg is 24-15 for his career with a 2.84 ERA and 1.08 WHIP.

The Nationals were 27-27 heading into Friday night’s series opener with the Braves, who currently lead the NL East heading into June.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

A couple weeks ago, I wrote an open letter to Bryce Harper asking him to never change. I made it clear that it involved him upholding his style of play, as Bryce Harper just isn’t Bryce Harper without the Tasmanian Devil approach to the game. 

I’m feeling conflicted on the matter now. In fact, I’ll be damned if I don’t feel a shred of responsibility for what happened to Harper on Monday night during the Washington Nationals‘ 6-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.

You saw it, right?

If no, you can watch it here. If yes, well, you can re-watch it here.

It was a collision as weird as it was violent. Harper just seemed to have no notion of his whereabouts and then, BAM, face met fence. When he hit the deck and the blood started to flow, it looked bad.

The good news is that it’s not. Harper walked off under his own power, and the word from Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post is that Harper did not suffer a concussion. It was just a jammed left shoulder and a cut under his chin that required 11 stitches. He may only miss a game or two.

Go ahead and let out a sigh of relief, fellow Harper fans.

But now for the obligatory question, the very one that’s giving me second thoughts: Does Harper need to change his style of play before he pushes his limits too far?

If you ask him, the answer is no. He’d rather not, anyway:

Deadspin’s Tom Ley reacted to this by writing that Harper collided with the wall Monday night due more to recklessness than playing hard, which I can agree with. Hard as it was, it was certainly the most casual collision with an outfield wall that I can remember.

All the same, saying that Harper plays the game recklessly fits almost as well as saying that he plays the game hard. And either way, it doesn’t sound like he’s about to take a look in the mirror.

Because I practically begged him to never change just a couple weeks ago, that should be just fine with me. But even I realize that now’s a good time for Harper to take a look in the mirror, as the month of May has been a rough one in regards to his style of play getting him in trouble.

Earlier this month, Harper suffered a lat injury when he collided with the outfield fence at Turner Field trying to rob Tim Hudson of a homer. Less than two weeks later, there he was on Monday night losing track of where he was and going face-first into Dodger Stadium’s right field fence.

Harper should consider himself lucky that he didn’t suffer more serious injuries. Such things have been known to happen when outfielders collide with walls.

The name everyone—i.e. Amanda Comack of The Washington Times and ESPN’s Buster Olney—is bringing up on Tuesday is that of Pete Reiser. He was a promising young outfielder for the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1940s, but he sabotaged his career with his tendency to run into walls.

Mark Stewart of SABR recalled the scariest moment of Reiser‘s career in 1947:

Chasing a ball hit by Culley Rikard of the Pirates, Pete snagged it on the dead run an instant before slamming into the fence. He held onto the ball for the out, but fractured his skull. The injury was so bad that he was given the last rites, and he lay in a hospital bed for five days hovering between life and death.

Reiser lived, but that was pretty much it for his career. He hung around in the majors until 1952, but he never again played in over 100 games in a season.

Granted, this was before Major League Baseball realized that padded outfield fences were a good idea, but even those aren’t 100 percent effective in preventing serious injuries that can linger.

Just take a look at Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp. He hurt his left shoulder colliding with an outfield wall late last season and ultimately had to have surgery on it during the offseason. He’s been a wreck this season, hitting .277/.327/.348 with only one homer in 37 games.

But the question of whether Harper should tone it down obviously doesn’t just concern him running into walls. It has to do with whether he’s going to be able to enjoy the long, successful career that we all want him to have if he doesn’t start treating his body with more care. After all, it doesn’t take much to ruin an outfielder’s body.

This is a matter that calls to mind other cautionary tales. Ken Griffey Jr. was beat up and pretty much out of gas by the time he hit his early 30s. Ditto Andruw Jones, whose last truly great season came at the age of 29 in 2006.

Then you have guys like Jim Edmonds and Aaron Rowand.

Edmonds lasted pretty long for a guy who was always tossing himself around like a rag doll in the outfield, but his career also started later relative to Griffey and Jones. Rowand, who once broke his face in a collision with an outfield wall in 2006, got to a point where he was constantly dealing with nagging injuries. He’s been out of baseball since 2011, which was only his age-33 season.

Harper is more talented that Edmonds and Rowand ever were, and he’s at least as talented as Griffey and Jones were at his age (high praise, indeed). But he’s no more indestructible than any of them ever were, and goodness knows that he’s not going to get any more indestructible as he gets older. 

So, what then? Is the solution here for him to start loafing around in the outfield and the basepaths, a la Manny Ramirez or later-years Barry Bonds?

Let’s not go that far. Let’s only go so far as to play the Plato card. What Harper requires is moderation.

For him, that involves finding a happy medium between Pete Rose, who Harper told Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated is the inspiration for his approach to the game, and Derek Jeter. Rose was able to enjoy a long, successful career despite his all-out style, and so has Jeter.

But having watched Jeter for so many years, I feel confident in saying this much: The guy picks his spots.

Jeter’s extraordinary moments—such as his out-of-nowhere flip to home in 2001 and his into-the-stands catch in 2004—have tended to come not when the New York Yankees were up big or down big, but when they’ve been in situations when an extraordinary moment was needed.

Harper wasn’t in one of those situations when he got hurt on Monday night. The Nationals were up 6-0 and Jordan Zimmermann was cruising. If ever there was a time for Harper to be playing it safe, it was then.

Calling for Harper to embrace moderation feels lame. And heck, if that’s what I’m thinking, odds are you’re thinking it too.

But I’m a little stuck here between very much wanting Harper to be the bat-out-of-hell player he’s established himself to be and also wanting him to be the all-time great we know he has the talent to become. And since I just picked one side a couple weeks ago, I don’t want to turn around and jump over to the other side now just because it’s convenient.

However, I’d much rather watch a cautious and healthy Harper for many years than I would a reckless and constantly injured Harper for not enough years. I’m also assuming he’d much rather enjoy a long career than a short one.

If that requires toning it down, then so be it.

If you want to talk baseball, hit me up on Twitter. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Bryce Harper isn’t invincible.

During the sixth inning of the Washington Nationals‘ road game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Harper was hot in pursuit of an A.J. Ellis fly ball to deep right field. Harper appeared to be in position to make a play on the ball, but just as he pulled up short, he met an unforgiving force.

The right field wall.

In a horrifying sight, Harper crumbled to the ground and lay motionless with his face in the dirt. Ellis rounded second base and stepped into third base safely, as Denard Span came over to hit the cut-off man.

More importantly, Harper rolled onto his back and one of the few things we could see was blood.

Harper didn’t just collide with the right field wall, but the scoreboard that is planted within the barrier. As soon as Span checked on him, he signaled for the trainers to come out and, before we knew it, one of the MLB‘s brightest stars was in trouble. 

According to Dan Steinberg of The Washington Post, it was as bad as it looked.

And Bryce Harper was nearly beheaded tonight (via @nevrfolow) twitter.com/Nevrfolow/stat…

— Dan Steinberg (@dcsportsbog) May 14, 2013

Washington Post’s Adam Kilgore has the latest on Harper’s condition:

Scott Boras: Harper had 11 stitches, no concussion. Jammed shoulder, but nothing immediate as far as orthopedic issues. Will have X-ray.

— Adam Kilgore (@AdamKilgoreWP) May 14, 2013

All Dodgers players and fans showed great respect by keeping silent while Harper was down and eventually applauding him as he walked off of the field. Even still, the sight of blood is never a good sign, especially not in a sport like baseball.

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It is only May 11, but the Washington Nationals have already activated a couple players from their 40-man roster to deal with injuries.

The most notable of these minor league call-ups was prized prospect Anthony Rendon.

But which Nationals prospects could be among the September call-ups?

Here are are the five Nationals’ prospects who can most impact the roster during a late season push for the MLB Playoffs.

Note: All statistics updated through May 10 courtesy MLB.com unless noted otherwise.

Begin Slideshow

The Washington Nationals are chasing the Atlanta Braves at the top of the National League East, but it looks like they’ll have to continue their climb for the next couple of weeks without starting outfielder Jayson Werth. 

Nationals beat writer Dan Kolko reported on Twitter that Werth is likely headed to the disabled list soon with a hamstring issue that has bugged him for the majority of the month of May:

Werth hasn’t played since May 2, when he left Washington’s game against Atlanta after five innings with hamstring tightness. 

Washington Times reporter Amanda Comak helped confirm the news (via Twitter) and had a look at some of the prospects the Nats might use to fill Werth‘s spot while he fully recovers from the leg ailment on the DL:

An initial MRI scan proved to be negative earlier in the week (h/t Washington Post), but the news on Werth on Friday did not give team doctors enough to believe he would be ready to return to Davey Johnson’s lineup in the next week or so. 

On the season, Werth is hitting .260 with four home runs and 10 RBI in 27 games. 

After signing a massive seven-year, $126 million contract in the winter of 2010 (h/t Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports), Werth was expected to help the Nationals start contending again in the NL East.

Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg have done more to accomplish that feat than the pricey Werth, but the 33-year-old slugger still has a knack for flair—including hitting a walk-off home run to help the Nationals win Game 4 of the 2012 NLDS. 

A career .267 hitter with 149 career home runs, Werth is the kind of veteran presence who has helped these Nationals crawl out of the basement and into the national conversation on a weekly basis. He’s had some health concerns in parts of three seasons in D.C., though, forcing the Nats to monitor his health more than some would like. 

His latest setback won’t keep the Nationals from staying the course in the early part of the season, and hopefully this trip to the DL will help Werth get fully healthy before returning to his post in right field for good. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Waiting patiently for the day when Washington Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg becomes the next Justin Verlander? You know, as in a guy who’s both extremely talented and extremely durable?

Here’s a hint: Don’t do that. 

Strasburg is never going to be Verlander’s equal, nor is he going to be up there with any of Major League Baseball’s great aces who are also tireless workhorses. That’s not the life Strasburg has been cut out for.

Before you object, let’s be clear about one thing: We’re not talking about a question of talent. If talent is a matter of stuff and command, then Strasburg has those two areas pretty well covered.

Strasburg’s stuff, obviously, is tremendous. Drool-inducing, really. He’s got the kind of stuff that we all gave our customized video-game pitchers when we were kids (and/or still do as adults).

Per FanGraphs, Strasburg has the highest average-fastball velocity of any starter in the majors (minimum 160 innings pitched) since the start of 2012. It’s a true plus offering, and his curveball and changeup are about as nasty as any in the game.

Strasburg is still working on his sinker, but it bodes well that it has by far the best ground-ball rate of any of his pitches this season, according to BrooksBaseball.net. If he continues to master that pitch, the task of beating him will be all the more difficult.

As for Strasburg’s command, Baseball Info Solutions (via FanGraphs) says he’s thrown 45.4 percent of his pitches in the strike zone since the start of 2012. That puts him right there with Matt Cain, as well as ahead of guys like Felix Hernandez and, yes, even Mr. Verlander.

So talent isn’t an issue. Strasburg may have more of that than any other starting pitcher in the majors, and I’ll wager that he has more of it now at the age of 24 than Verlander did when he was the same age in 2007.

But Verlander didn’t become Verlander just on his ability to throw a baseball. The Detroit Tigers‘ right-hander’s freakish durability is as big a part of his legend as his freakish stuff, and similar freakish durability should not be expected from Strasburg for a couple of reasons.

One is that it is very unlikely to be allowed. Another is that Strasburg’s body very likely won’t allow it.

Strasburg becoming an elite workhorse means finding a way past the paranoia of his employers. The Nationals have been extremely cautious with his right arm, particularly last year when he was tackling his first full major-league season less than two years removed from Tommy John surgery.

To give you an idea of how small Strasburg’s workload last season was, here’s how it compares to Verlander’s age-23 season in 2006.

In his age-23 season, Verlander logged more starts, more innings, more pitches per game started and more 120-pitch starts than Strasburg did in his age-23 season last year. Overall, Verlander threw exactly 361 more pitches in 2006 than Strasburg did in 2012.

Granted, Verlander wasn’t coming off Tommy John surgery. But he still compiled all that work despite dealing with two separate episodes of arm fatigue late in the year (see Baseball Prospectus). He was not a picture of health in 2006, yet he still handled a sizable workload.

To boot, not pictured in the above table is the work Verlander did in the postseason in 2006. Factor that in, and you’ve got another four starts, 21.2 innings and 406 pitches.

So Verlander’s leash was pretty loose in 2006, and the Tigers loosened it even more in his age-24 season in 2007. He crossed the 110-pitch plateau nine times in 32 starts and averaged 105 pitches per start. 

The Nationals have loosened Strasburg’s leash in 2013, but only to a degree. He’s averaging 102 pitches per start through his first seven outings, but 110 pitches would still appear to be his limit. He’s topped out at 114 pitches this season, and still has yet to throw over 120 pitches in a major-league start.

That’s something that Verlander now does regularly, and it’s hard to imagine Strasburg ever getting to that point because of how the Nationals treat him. They have yet to show a willingness to take his training wheels completely off, and they could continue to do so as long as he’s under their control.

That would be through the 2016 season, which will be Strasburg’s age-27 campaign. If the Nationals are still afraid to let him go too far beyond 100 pitches and, by extension, 200 innings per season by then, his niche is going to be carved out.

Even if Strasburg were to escape the Nationals through free agency, he’d still be in a situation where his employers would want to treat him with extreme care. There’d be a lot of money invested in him, and the people investing that money would know that it would be at risk if Strasburg were to be asked to suddenly handle a bigger workload after so many years on a short leash. 

That would be asking for an injury to happen even if Strasburg’s medical record was clean, which, of course, it’s not. As it is, the fear of him suffering another major injury doesn’t just stem from his medical record. His mechanics are also a red flag.

When Strasburg was first coming up, there was some buzz about his mechanics potentially being dangerous. His Baseball America scouting report, for example, noted that there were some within the Nationals organization who were concerned Strasburg‘s mechanics could eventually result in him breaking down.

Several years later, these concerns have some legs. In addition to Tommy John surgery in 2010, Strasburg has also battled shoulder inflammation, bicep tightness and forearm tightness since he arrived in the majors (see Baseball Prospectus). As explosive as his right arm is, it’s fragile.

Last year, Lindsay Berra of ESPN The Magazine sought to find out exactly what it is about Strasburg’s mechanics that makes them so dangerous, and an independent coach and former Pittsburgh Pirates scout named Paul Reddick had an answer.

Reddick provided a step-by-step breakdown of Strasburg’s mechanics in comparison to the practically flawless mechanics of Greg Maddux. The gist was that Strasburg’s pitching delivery results in his upper half being out of sync with his lower half, putting extra pressure on his shoulder and arm.

Strasburg is also an “inverted W” guy, which Berra explained at length in a separate article focused on Tommy John surgery:

…if a pitcher’s elbows come higher than his wrists and shoulders, with the ball pointing down, he’s demonstrating an “inverted W” — a sign that his sequence is off and he’s fighting his own body. Such poor timing leads to arm lag, evident when the throwing elbow trails the shoulder once the shoulders square to home plate. Strasburg exhibits both problems, forcing him and others like him to rely more on the arm’s relatively small muscles instead of the more massive ones in the legs and torso. 

The ideal pitching delivery, according to Berra, looks like this: “When the [front] foot makes contact with the mound, the pitching arm must be up and ready to throw. A righthanded pitcher should be showing the baseball to the shortstop, a lefty to the second baseman.”

Case in point, here’s Verlander:

Verlander’s front foot is about a fraction of a second away from hitting the ground in this shot, but it’s close enough for our purposes. What you can see here is that his arms are not making an inverted W. His right arm is ready to throw, with the ball clearly visible to the shortstop.

Now here’s Strasburg:

Strasburg’s lead foot is a fraction of a second from hitting the ground in this shot, too, and you can see that his right arm is not up and ready to fire like Verlander’s. It’s still on the way up, and really isn’t ready to fire until Strasburg is already striding towards home plate.

Like so:

By contrast, here’s where Verlander’s arm is when he starts his stride towards home plate:

The difference is subtle, but what you’re seeing in this image is Verlander’s arm coming forward as he strides towards the plate. He’s already in the process of throwing, whereas the above image of Strasburg shows that he’s still in the process of preparing to throw. He’s basically still locking and loading at a point where Verlander is firing.

That’s the “arm lag” Berra was talking about. Because Strasburg’s arm is not in sequence with his lower half, his arm has to generate more torque than it should have to.

Point being: Strasburg’s arm was surgically repaired in 2010, but it’s not going to be totally safe until he alters his mechanics. Since that hasn’t happened yet, it would appear he and the Nationals won’t even consider a mechanical overhaul until they get a darn good excuse.

Such as another major injury. And if one should occur, Strasburg’s going to be damaged goods for good.

Even if Strasburg is able to avoid major injuries, his mechanics are still very likely to keep the minor injuries (stiffness, inflammation, etc.) coming, and that’s only going to keep feeding the notion that Strasburg is best kept on strict pitch-count and innings limitations.

Verlander achieved his status as an indestructible workhorse by proving it. The same goes for aces like Felix Hernandez, CC Sabathia, Roy Halladay, James Shields and other perennial 230-inning guys. These pitchers eventually showed that 200 innings was a formality for them, not a goal.

As much as Strasburg would presumably like to follow in their footsteps, his overprotective employers, injury history and mechanics are standing in the way.

We’ll just have to be content with him being a super-talented pitcher who’s one of the lesser workhorses in the game.

Hey, as long as the “super-talented” part holds up, I’m cool with that arrangement.

Note: Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

If you want to talk baseball, hit me up on Twitter. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Philadelphia Phillies have struggled in the early weeks of the 2013 regular season. They are 14-16 thus far, 3.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves for first place in the suddenly tight National League East.

Should the team have a losing record (or even subpar record, for that matter), general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. could choose to trade some of his team’s impending free agents.

Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com opines, “If things don’t improve, the Phillies might make their noise in July, when [Chase] Utley and the two Youngs [Michael and Delmon], all pending free agents, could become trade candidates.”

The Washington Nationals have also struggled a bit, albeit their record is 1.5 games better than their rival’s. At 16-15, general manager Mike Rizzo is likely upset with the way his team—a team that was supposed to dominate the rest of the National League—has performed.

Their pitching hasn’t been great, but inconsistencies offensively have really been their downfall. Their team batting average of .228 ranks 28th in the majors, ahead of only the Miami Marlins and Toronto Blue Jays. Getting on base has also been an issue, as their .293 OBP ranks them 27th in the league. Only the Blue Jays, Marlins and Chicago White Sox are worse.

A boost offensively could be just what the Nationals need come July 31, so don’t be surprised if Rizzo gives his rival GM a call to inquire on Utley.

Danny Espinosa has struggled for Washington. His .176/.213/.329 line is terrible, and his K/BB ratio of 20-to-3 equally as disappointing. He has driven in seven runs, but that’s helped by the fact that nine of his 15 hits have gone for extra bases (seven doubles, two home runs).

Steve Lombardozzi hasn’t been much better, so replacing Espinosa with the reserve infielder wouldn’t make a drastic difference. Lombo’s line of .224/.255/.286 is better, but he doesn’t provide enough power to drive in that many runs.

This could lead the Nationals straight to Utley. Utley has performed very well in 30 games this season, hitting six home runs and driving in 21. His line of .280/.331/.523 is essentially right on par with his career line (.287/.375/.501).

Utley would give the Nationals yet another power bat to go along with Bryce Harper, Ryan Zimmerman, Jayson Werth and Adam LaRoche. A quartet of power guys in the middle of the lineup could make their lineup equally as dangerous as the Atlanta Braves’. Such an acquisition would, then, be a good idea to pursue.

Even with his impending free agency, Utley would likely cost a pretty penny in terms of prospects. Washington could offer either Espinosa or Lombardozzi (free agents in 2017 and 2018, respectively), as well as outfield prospect Eury Perez and pitching prospect A.J. Cole.

Perez has stellar speed (224 stolen bases in seven minor league seasons) and sports a strong career line of .307/.362/.373. He’d be a great addition to the Phillies as early as next season.

Cole, a right-handed starter, would provide stability in the back of the Phillies rotation as early the second half of 2014, though with the potential to be a No. 2 starter. His career ERA of 3.84 and WHIP of 1.250 suggest he has promise and that he’ll improve with more experience.

Such a package should be enough to acquire Utley. With the past willingness of the Lerner family (the owning family of the Nationals) to spend money, Rizzo could conceivably work on a four-year deal with Utley to remain in Washington after he’s acquired. Trading for him without the guarantee of a new contract would not be worth the prospects.

This entire situation is pure speculation on my part, but putting Utley in D.C. would have huge implications on the NL East. Washington’s stagnant offense would receive a huge boost, and the Braves may not be able to hold off the defending division champs.

If I’m Rizzo, then I’m on the phone with Amaro if the Phillies appear to be sellers at the deadline in a few months’ time.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Dear Bryce,

You don’t know me, but I feel like I know you well enough. Like many others, I’m a fan. Also like many others, I feel like I know you a little better now after having watched the documentary ESPN did on you. Bryce Begins was good stuff. A real humdinger.

It also got me to thinking that it’s high time I asked a favor of you, one that I believe most others in galaxies both known and unknown would find agreeable.

Do us all a favor and don’t ever change, bro. Always be yourself.

I can’t believe I’m sitting here asking you to never change. When you were still making your way toward the major leagues, I recall anticipating that you were going to be just another insufferable prima donna.

You remember the article Tom Verducci wrote about you for Sports Illustrated back in 2009? You know, the one that portrayed you as baseball’s LeBron James?

Yeah, that one. There were plenty of flattering words in there about your off-the-charts talent and your love of the game, but your own words painted you as being more arrogant than confident.

Seriously, what teenager actually says his goal is to be “considered the greatest baseball player who ever lived?” You sounded like you had no concept of how easily the game of baseball humbles people, no matter their talent level. Major League Baseball isn’t the NBA or the NFL. Even the best young players (i.e. guys like YOU) have to earn their way.

You also remember that the negative buzz was still building when the 2010 draft was getting closer. Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus published a scouting report that included some not-so-nice things in the “Makeup” section:

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.” 

You saw that scouting report got picked up by Yahoo! Sports and subsequently digested by draft-eager baseball fans like myself, and you know we used it to form opinions. Who were we to disagree with the scouts, you know?

The negative buzz didn’t quit after the Nationals picked you No. 1 and you were thrust into the minors. There was that time you blew a kiss to an opposing pitcher after you hit a home run off him, which prompted Craig Calcaterra of Hardball Talk to write a “Bryce Harper needs to grow up” column.

And what was the deal with you telling MLB.com in early 2012 that you wanted to be like Joe Namath? You sounded like you couldn’t wait to get to the big leagues and then run wild. This time, it was Jason Reid of The Washington Post who was writing a “Bryce Harper needs to grow up” column.

When you got the call to the big leagues last April, we were all worried about you. You were only 19, and you hadn’t answered the question as to whether you were really ready for the big leagues or the life that comes with it. Honestly, I braced for a train wreck.

Before long, I found myself asking: Who is this guy?

It was like a switch had been flipped. You weren’t arrogant. You were confident, and it was a unique kind of confident. The right amount of swagger mixed with a shocking dose of humility. Turns out you had some after all. So much for scouting reports.

On the field, you didn’t always keep your emotions in check. But you didn’t let anybody push you to your boiling point either, even though there were some who tried pretty hard.

You didn’t charge the mound when Cole Hamels acted like a punk and hit you on purpose (your subsequent steal of home was a nice touch). You looked like the better man when Ozzie Guillen got ticked off about the pine tar on your bat. You didn’t punch Angel Hernandez’s lights out even though you had a reason to after he effectively picked a fight with you.

You didn’t look like a 19-year-old out there, Bryce. Nor did you look like a problem child. We were all tipping our hats.

You were pretty good off the field, too. Baseball writers can be a tough crowd, but you handled them far better than expected. You didn’t give them stock answers. At the same time, you didn’t give them any reasons to rip you. Not an easy trick, that.

The one time you did get snippy, you put a guy asking a dumb question in his place by telling him he was asking a clown question, bro. That was perfect, and it looks damn good on a T-shirt (I’m a proud owner of one).

Your swagger has shown through in other endearing ways. I loved the “Suns Out Guns Out” shirt. The eye black is ridiculous, but it fits. The mohawk is equally ridiculous, but it fits.

Your beard, meanwhile, is way thicker than most 20-year-old beards. Must be that Harper swagger.

Don’t lose the swagger, Bryce, but hold on to your humility too. That balance is going to be important. It’s going to keep the media on your side, which will ensure that you stay likable. Hence the reason it’s part of our agreement.

But our agreement isn’t that simple. A likable personality isn’t worth jack without the play to back it up. Your game has the same kind of balance as your attitude, and it needs to stay that way.

There’s the insane natural talent part of your game. That’s the part that allows you to crush the baseball on a regular basis, which is a sight that’s not getting old. Please do keep it up.

Then there’s the hustle part. You don’t play the game like an entitled superstar. You don’t loaf around the basepaths. You destroy them. You don’t jog after balls in the outfield. You jet after them. 

I’m confident that the first part isn’t going away. You’re a damn good hitter now, and you should be a damn good hitter for a long time.

It’s the second part I’m not so sure about.

You’re not going to be 20 years old forever, bro. You’re going to get old. Your body is going to break down. Your energy level is going to come down. It’s going to be a lot harder for you to keep hustling, and there are going to be days when you just don’t feel like doing it.

But you’ve gotta keep doing it. Plenty of guys are talented for a long time. Not that many guys are both talented and relentless for a long time. That’s Pete Rose territory. Derek Jeter territory. It needs to be Bryce Harper territory too.

Between maintaining your personality and continuing to play the game the way you play it, a lot is going to go into being Bryce Harper. Asking you to never change is no small favor, and I realize that. 

You brought it on yourself, though. When we were first introduced to you via Sports Illustrated, you told us you were going to be an all-timer. Ever since you arrived in the majors, you’ve demonstrated in more ways than one that you weren’t kidding.

Asking you to never change is asking you not to let us all down.

Best of luck, bro.

Yours truly, 

Some guy

If you want to talk baseball, hit me up on Twitter. 

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With concern centering around Stephen Strasburg following Monday’s 3-2 loss to the Braves, the offense also may not have come out unscathed. Right fielder Jayson Werth, the team’s second-leading home run hitter and run producer, fouled a ball off his ankle and aggravated his hamstring.

Near the end of the game, Werth felt cramping in the seventh inning while racing to catch a fly ball and make a throw home. During his eighth inning at-bat against reliever Eric O’Flaherty, Werth fouled a ball off his left ankle.

He fell to the ground, rolled around and got up gingerly. Nationals‘ trainer Lee Kuntz and Davey Johnson came out to check on him. He finished the at-bat but was replaced the next inning in right field by Roger Bernadina.

Via Dan Kolko of MASN Sports:

The ankle was a little swollen after the game, Werth said. The hamstring, while it bugged the veteran outfielder, doesn’t seem to be a major concern, yet. “I’ll be fine, it’s not like a strain or anything,” he said. “Just a cramp. Those things happen. Sometimes they happen and you guys never hear about them. The ankle probably (makes) the situation worse.”

Two teammates have dealt with hamstring issues over recent weeks, Ryan Zimmerman and Wilson Ramos. Zimmerman’s hamstring strain, which landed him on the 15-day disabled list, began as hamstring cramping.

Ramos was reinstated from the DL on Monday, backing up Kurt Suzuki in the loss to the Braves.

The Nationals organization is certainly hoping Werth‘s fate won’t be similar to Zimmerman’s. With the offense currently dealing with inconsistencies, they can’t afford to lose Werth‘s bat in the lineup. Especially with Ryan Zimmerman expected to return this Friday, against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Werth is due to test things out Tuesday before determining whether he’ll need any time off. 

With the additional scare to Stephen Strasburg on Monday night, who is currently dealing with forearm stiffness following his start against the Braves, the Nationals fan base will now hold their breath until both Werth and Strasburg are in the clear health wise.

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Limited to only 44 games last season after suffering an ankle fracture in his second professional game, Anthony Rendon resuscitated his prospect stock this spring with an excellent showing in major league camp.

Appearing in 13 games, the 22-year-old batted .375/.412/.875 with four doubles and four home runs and received extensive playing time at the hot corner. More importantly, Rendon asserted that, despite his limited experience, his bat was close to being ready for the major leagues. However, with Ryan Zimmerman blocking his path, it was widely known that only an injury could get Rendon to the majors before September.

Unfortunately, the Rendon insurance policy came into play far earlier than expected this season, as the Nationals were forced to call up their top prospect from Double-A after placing Zimmerman on the 15-day disabled list for a strained left hamstring.

Luckily, among all position prospects, Rendon stands a legitimate chance at succeeding in the major leagues and is a viable replacement for their All-Star third baseman. A right-hander, Rendon is one of the purest hitters in the minor leagues with a chance to have a legitimate plus hit tool. Thanks to advanced pitch recognition and plate discipline that’s already better than that of most big leaguers, he’s able to track the ball deep in the zone and coax his share of walks. More significantly, he’s adept at working deep counts and employs a patient but aggressive approach.

The only real question mark in Rendon’s offensive profile is in regards to his power frequency. Given his injury history and brief minor league track record, the 22-year-old has yet to tap into his above-average raw power. However, as he settles in at the dish—regardless of the level—his outstanding bat speed and ability to use the entire field should result in more balls that clear more fences.

Although he projects to be an average defender at the hot corner, Rendon is a shell of the athlete he was at Rice. Over the past four years, he’s suffered a right shoulder injury and three separate ankle injuries—all serious and involving both ankles—that have severely limited his range and overall quickness. And while his arm strength remains more than enough for the position, he doesn’t boast the plus arm that he did just a few years ago.

While few question the impact he can make if fully healthy, it’s difficult to project his potential long-term production. That said, when comparing Rendon to other major leaguers—past or present—it makes sense to take a conservative route, as there’s no telling how his body will hold up as he ages.

Using Baseball-Reference.com’s tremendous Play Index tool, I did a search dating back to 1987 (25 years) for third basemen that had at least one season with a .250/.340/.420 triple-slash line. After discarding high-profile players such as Alex Rodriguez, Chipper Jones and David Wright, I was left with a list of realistic comparisons.

Joe Randa

162-Game Average: .284/.339/.426, 74 R, 35 2B, 13 HR, 79/46 K/BB

Career WAR: 21.1

Over the course of his 12-year career with five different organizations, Randa posted a very respectable .284/.339/.426 triple-slash line while accumulating a 21.1 WAR. In his six seasons with the Royals (1999-2004), Randa was one of the more consistent and undervalued third basemen in the game, as he amassed 197 doubles and 79 home runs and reached base at a favorable clip thanks to above-average plate discipline and knack for contact.

Travis Fryman

162-Game Average: .274/.336/.443, 85 R, 33 2B, 21 HR, 131/57 K/BB

Career WAR: 34.3

Fryman feasted on American League Central pitching over his 13-year career, as he spent eight seasons with the Tigers before finishing his career in Cleveland. A six-time All-Star, he hit at least 30 doubles and 20 home runs in a season on six occasions. However, relative to some of the other names on this list, Fryman was more of a free-swinger than Rendon should be during his career, as he amassed 1,369 strikeouts in 1,698 career games.

In my opinion, his defensive profile at third base—he also logged 339 games at shortstop—is the most comparable to Rendon’s. While both players possess only average range at best, they make up for their shortcomings with instinctual actions, soft hands and an above-average arm.

Mike Lowell

162-Game Average: .279/.342/.464, 40 2B, 23 HR, 83/55 K/BB

Career WAR: 24.8

Lowell could be viewed as the ceiling comparison, as his contact rate and power frequency was better than what should be expected from Rendon. Over his 13-year career in the major leagues, Lowell batted .279/.342/.464 with 394 doubles, 223 home runs and an impressive 817/548 K/BB.

During his time with the Marlins from 1999-2005, he was one of the better third basemen in the game and appeared in three consecutive All-Star games. While his defense was always excellent at the hot corner, Lowell received his only Golden Glove award in 2005.  

Although he did post a WAR of 5.0 on one occasion (2007), Lowell’s average WAR was more in the 2.7-3.2 range, which is a reasonable expectation for Rendon.

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