MLB Draft: Pirates already "toying" the media regarding highly touted prospect Bryce Harper

MLB Draft: Pirates already "toying" the media regarding highly touted prospect Bryce Harper

12:00am - Monday, February 1st, 2010 by DePaoli

The Pittsburgh Pirates hold the No. 2 selection in the 2010 MLB draft, and are in position to have the chance to draft Bryce Harper (17 yrs old, 6-3, 205 lbs) who has been called "the LeBron James of baseball by Sports Illustrated.

Harper who graduated high school two years early to pursue a college career, is a catcher who can play shortstop and third base as well as pitch. Harper has been clocked at 96 MPH but projects to be a dominate power hitter in the major leagues.

While Harper is the presumptive first pick of the 2010 MLB draft, teams are leery of his contract demands.

However, you will be lucky to find one general manager claim that Harper is not among the top players on their teams' draft board.

In Pittsburgh we have found one as Pirates GM Neal Huntington said on Saturday at Piratesfest that "We will scout Bryce Harper, " Huntington said. "But we're not going to select him because somebody thinks he's the best prospect in the history of the game and we think he's the 10th-best."

This is early posturing from the Pirates to be in position to claim Harper "wasn't the best player available" on their draft board, if the Washington Nationals decide to pass on Harper at the No. 1 selection.

The Pirates are expected to go by their 2009 draft philosophy; draft a sign able player for slot money in the first round and spend money elsewhere in the later rounds.

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Comments

Pika

Pirates = J O K E

02/01/2010 12:21am

If Harper lives up to his hype and the Nats pass on him, he will be a Pirate.

02/01/2010 12:35am

Carnauerff

If he's avaliable when we select and the pirates don't select him, I'll give up and burn any pirate item I own.

02/01/2010 1:16am

Monrovian12

If he is available when the Bucco's pick...Maybe Harper can play some hardball and tell the Pirates he'll only sign with them if Nutting sells the team...HA!

02/01/2010 2:03am

jaluco

The Pirates are indefensible, and have been for years.

02/01/2010 7:12am

kegg66

the Nats won't pass. A battery of Strasburg and Harper for the next ten years in DC would be too good to pass up.

02/01/2010 7:29am

jeffed

How can anyone stand the Pirates? They don't draft the best available players and it's a joke. They did it one time and everyone commends them on it, what a joke.

02/01/2010 8:34am

SV84

If Nuthead really wants to convince us he's serious he better get him. But I have a bad feeling the Natinals will draft him and Nutting will say they would have.

02/01/2010 8:51am

Weimer007

Wow. And just when it looked like things were looking up. Without bashing Nutting for the obvious, he really needs to find a new sport. Baseball does not fit him because of the outrageous signing bonuses and intro contracts that unproven rookies demand. Go buy the Predators Mr. Nutting. You can make money there too... but unlike in Pittsburgh, where fans will support their teams to the end, you might have to win.

02/01/2010 9:18am

talk is cheap, especially when it comes to the Buccos. It's ironic that the Pens purchasing disucssions are announced that same weekend as FanFest.

02/01/2010 9:24am

j_s15226

I think we're over reacting here a bit. He said what all good GM's would - Just because SI says he's the best doesn't mean he is the best. You don't play your card 6 months early. It's a long time until the draft, if he's still the #1 prospect and they pass on him then I'll completley agree that they would need ridiculed for that

02/01/2010 9:54am

TDBennyC3

obviously there is much left to prove, but Huntington has been here for 2 drafts and grabbed alvarez, who was the best available, and then Tony Sanchez whose been impressive. Please dont bash me for being knowledgable, i know most of you read just read the headlines, which leads to the immed respons of pirates suck, Huntington, given what he has to work with aka nutting, has yet to make a bad move if you pay attention to baseball

02/01/2010 9:59am

TDBennyC3

and if hes as good as they say the nationals cant pass on him.

02/01/2010 10:00am

TDBenny- yet to make a bad move, I hope your kidding..I guess getting a bunch of barbage for the best player he had traded (bay) is acceptable to u..Where do the Nutting apologists come from ?

02/01/2010 10:05am

jaluco

j_s thinks we're overreacting! What a shock!

02/01/2010 10:16am

jaluco

Sanchez has been impressive - the guy barely cracks the Top 100 league wide, and was drafted, what, 4th overall? But it saved uncle Bob some dollars. we we're all good there!

02/01/2010 10:16am

TDBennyC3

i love all the talk of Bay, cause he would be here this season right? o no he went out and got a contract for 16 mil, we should have kept him and just let him walk for nothing after another losing season, good idea. o wait no its not..

02/01/2010 10:33am

TDBennyC3

as for sanchez, yeah he came in played low a ball, said we drafted him for his arm and defense and he hit over .300 which was his hidden upside. He is not what i would call a bust just yet. He was a not the best talent, but a solid pick that was eager to get started. after what happened and we lost a year bc of contract negotiations with alvarez, maybe they did play it a little safer but its not like we took Walker in the 1st. So please give me another bad move by huntington? also that may have had to do with nutting, but like i said given the owner Huntington has done all the right things when it comes to a small market rebuild. he is doing what littlefiled never had the guts too bc he was worried about what you (the uninformed fan) would think. NH is making the right decision which isnt the popular one, but right non the less

02/01/2010 10:47am

jaluco

TD - I odn' think he's a bust by any stretch. It's like the Staal thing - Staal is a legit NHL player - was he worth taking #2 overall? No way. The three players taken directly after him are all better. Just because Sanchez looks like an OK player and will probably pan out, doesn't mean he wasn't a giant reach at #4.

02/01/2010 10:49am

TDBennyC3

alright, ill back down a bit in this forum and say he was a bit of a stretch, but hes actually producing above what they expected. In other words he was a stretch, his play is somewhat legitimizing that stretch to cover it up a little... staal tho i will not back down from and i am taking it to the other board lol

02/01/2010 11:10am

Weimer007

What should have been said was "If he is deemed to be the best, and is available, we will take him". Pirates are still a PR nightmare. I think Huntington has done a fantastic job drafting as it seems as though the shackles have been removed.

02/01/2010 11:33am

Benny, no one said we needed to keep Bay, although we have the cash for him...BUT IF YOUR GOING TO TRADE HIM, u should get some value in retrun, WHICH WE DID NOT...and U don't take the 32nd rated player regardless of the position with the 4th pick...But that is the Nutting way.i.e. Moskos

02/01/2010 1:50pm

stengel

if the Buccos mess this draft up just because of SIGNABILITY...screw em! Dont go to ANY more games, folks...they are STEALING our money and not putting it in the place it should be...CONTENTION!

02/01/2010 2:24pm

Jeff2266

not only that stengel but someone like mario and burkle come along try to buy the team and make them competative and the owner wont even let that happen

02/01/2010 2:56pm

j_s15226

LMAO 32nd ranked player? I remember it being more like 15-20 with a bunch of guys lumped together. And the Bay trade has and always will hinge on the development of Bryan Morris. If he becomes the Ace he can be then it's a decent trade. Keep in mind you also got a league average 3B or above average 2B in Andy LaRoche.

02/01/2010 5:08pm

js..get your facts straight...Keith Law had him at 32...

02/01/2010 5:49pm

your right about Morris, but he sure is not off to a good start as a Pirate

02/01/2010 5:49pm

↑ previous comments ↑

deesh138

If morris "becomes an ace" then it wasn't a decent trade, it was a rape. Bay and LaRoche weren't terribly far apart in WAR this past season, and Bay's offensive numbers would have been far worse in Pittsburgh due to the offensive supporting cast and ballpark. If they got a starting 3b and an ace for bay, it's a laugher.

02/01/2010 5:58pm

Genomalkin

pirates = joke

02/01/2010 9:22pm

The Bay trade will probably be justified in just Andy LaRoche's performance. I've got a feeling he is going to have a higher WAR rating than Bay this year, or at least very close.

02/01/2010 10:21pm

BigB2323

your not going to hit on all ur trades, pirates could have traded Bay the year before that for Cliff Lee who was in the minors that year for being sent down, Franklin Guiterez OF who now became a Gold Glove OF with Seattle but at the time Cleveland was down on him and wanted him out and Kelly Shoppach whos is getting his first chance now to Catch with Tampa Bay...Now that trade today would look great at the time it didnt and people would have probably complained about it hardcore, but with this types of deals u never know, Hansen was redsox former first rd pick, Morris is dodgers former 1st rd pick, Andy LaRoche was the Dodgers #1 prospect for 3years, im just saying u never know how these trades will work out but its not like Neal got scrub prospects for him they were all ranked very high cant help it that they all dont pan out.

02/02/2010 12:50pm

stengel

The players are doing what they are supposed to be doing...that's the talent level we have here in Pittsburgh...it's the owners that we have to blame...so please STOP blaming our players...they are doing their best...this is what happens when we, THE FANS, are dishing out dollars for players off the sick bay...we only have a chance to bring in players that have knee issues, arm issues, emotional issues...other than that...BRING UP THE FARM...that's what I'm waiting for...not bringing in other team's junkies! Alverez, Tabata, and crew will bring me back to PNC!

02/02/2010 2:18pm