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Even though I missed a week in documenting the race for Bryce Harper, not much has changed atop the leaderboard. To check out the Harper standings from two weeks ago, click here. Without further ado, here are the current standings in the race for Bryce Harper:
1. Washington Nationals
-The Nationals are simply running away with the Harper sweepstakes. A 6.06 team ERA in September highlights why the Nationals are pulling so far ahead. With less than 20 games to play, it looks like the Nationals have Bryce Harper all but locked up, barring a miraculous winning streak by the Nationals or a miraculous losing streak by the Pirates or Royals.
2. Pittsburgh Pirates, 6 GB
-It was only a matter of time before the Pirates bottomed out. After losing so many starters and relying mainly on young guys and unprovens in the second half, a massive drop in performance was inevitable. The Pirates are 2-9 in September, which has catapulted them from third two weeks ago to second this week in the Harper standings. But with so little time left, you have to wonder if the Pirates have enough bad baseball left in them to catapult over the hapless Nationals.
3. Kansas City Royals, 7 GB
-This is all you need to know about the 2009 Royals: two weeks ago, the Royals were only 4.5 games back of the Nationals for Harper, a player who could change the culture of the franchise. But in September, the Royals have actually played good baseball by sporting a respectable 7-5 record. While it might be optomistic for Royals' fans to see their team playing well, their September play has effectively taken them out of the running for Bryce Harper! Oh well, at least they have another 4 years of Dayton Moore!
4. Batimore Orioles, 8.5 GB
-It's sad for me to say, but the dream of Bryce Harper and Matt Wieters playing on the same team is not going to happen.
5. Cleveland Indians, 11 GB
-This is where the real race is. The Indians have the same record as the Diamondbacks and the Mets, yes my beloved Mets with a $140 million dollar payroll, are only 1 GB! Which one of these three teams will lose enough down the stretch to win the fifth spot in the draft? Put my money down on the Mets...something good has to come out of the 2009 season, right?
Thoughts?
4 comments:
Harper looks like Washington's to lose. I don't think Pittsburgh has enough poor play left in them to overtake Washington. Plus, they like to draft signable players, rather than talent. I'd like to see Harper in a Pirates uniform, but it won't happen.
Washington's horrible play could turn them into the next Tampa Bay Rays.
The #1 picks in baseball have historically not produced great results. The names Brien Taylor and Ben McDonald immediately come to mind. I think this kid has all the talent in the world a la Josh Hamilton, but he is far from a sure thing!
Back to back #1 picks should ensure that the Nationals start to turn the franchise around sooner rather than later.
The hype on Bryce Harper is just starting. He is finally playing pro ball, and it seems like he has all the skills that made Josh Hamilton so highly regarded out of high school.
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