According to the Washington Times (story here), Bryce Harper reportedly turned down an invitation to represent his country in this year's classic, citing he wants to experience his first full spring-training.
The 20-year old has been the most-hyped player of any prospect in recent memory and is such a polarizing figure that before he even took his first MLB at-bats last April, he's gained many critics with his play and attitude.
Below is a few instances that have landed Harper in the "Not top plays" portion of highlights.
- 2012: Playing in his first MLB game, Harper intentionally flipped his helmet off of his head rounding first base on a double -- the first hit of his career. Now, the reason for this maybe strictly be because he thought he could run faster without it on? But I doubt it...he wanted the cameras to get a clear shot of that awful haircut.
- 2011: Playing for the Washington Senators, Harper struck out looking in the seventh inning of a 1-0 game and was ejected after slamming his helmet to the ground thinking he'd drawn a free pass.
- 2011: Playing for the Nationals Class A club in Hagerstown, MD, Harper blew a kiss to an opposing pitcher following a home-run.
- 2011: Harper was called out on strikes to end the inning. It appears one of the West Virgina players says something that Harper takes offense to. Harper fires back, prompting both benches to empty.
- 2010: Playing in the JUCO College World Series, Harper was ejected by the home plate umpire after he drew a line in the dirt following a called third-strike.
These are just a few examples of Harper, who doesn't turn 21 until October, showing he is still a kid and needs to learn how to handle the limelight.
I hate to compare the two, because it's like comparing apples to oranges. But, Ryan Leaf was in a similar situation when drafted out of Washington State and was one of the hottest quarterback prospect in years.
Leaf, who never materialized as the star that experts felt he would be in the NFL, had his run-ins with media and fans -- and later the law -- alike and was heavily scrutinized during is time in San Diego, but you can't help but wonder if those things would have went away had the Great Falls, Mont. native won a few more games or threw a few more TD passes.
Can he become a one-of-a-generation player?
Absolutely, however, this would have been a great opportunity for the phenom to step up and quiet some of his critics and represent his country on a team that lacks star-power and will likely fail to reach the semifinal round of the WBC for the second time in three tries.
