Bryce Harper Off to Slow Start; Nationals not Worried

Before sustaining a calf injury this spring, top prospect Bryce Harper was making a strong case that he should break camp with the Washington Nationals.  While his calf injury made the ultimate decision an easy one, many wondered how long Harper would have to wait before his call came.  However, Harper’s gotten off to a slow start at Triple-A and doesn’t appear to be on the verge of a promotion.  Still, the Nationals are not concerned about their phenom.

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo told Mark Zuckerman of CSNWashington.com that he’s not surprised that Harper is going through an adjustment period at the Triple-A level.  Rizzo added that Harper is facing a different kind of pitching than what he was used to in the lower levels of the minor leagues.

As of yesterday evening, Harper had only maintained a line of .232/.295/339 in Triple-A.  Harper has started the season by going 13-56 at the plate with five extra base hits and no home runs.  Harper also only has a single RBI through 14 games.

But Rizzo doesn’t attribute Harper’s down totals to the teenager being overwhelmed.  Instead, Rizzo confirmed that Harper is using a “good approach” and has been “hitting the ball very, very hard”.  Rizzo is confident that Harper will make the required adjustments and continue his former level of production at Triple-A.

Rizzo also likes how Harper is handling center field, a position that he’s manned during 9 of his 14 games played.  Though he’s already committed two errors as a center fielder this season, Rizzo noted that Harper is taking good routes to the ball and that his throwing and accuracy have improved.

After next week, the Nationals will have delayed Harper’s free agent clock until after the 2018 season.  While this was something that Washington was known to want to do before calling up Harper, Zuckerman doesn’t get the feeling that the 19-year-old will be making his major league debut in the immediate future.

Instead, the Nationals are likely to allow Harper to gain comfort at Triple-A and force his way to the majors.  With the Nationals looking like a team that is prepared to contend in 2012, Harper could offer the club the perfect mid-season acquisition.

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