Bryce Harper dragged his foot across the Atlanta Braves’ logo behind home plate before an at-bat in the Braves-Nationals game last night. He tried to mark through it, ruin it, or at least mess it up. This is just another example of how young Harper is and how he has yet to mature as a Major Leaguer. You can see Harper dragging his foot here.
In the big picture, this means nothing. The Braves did not retaliate for his petty act and rightfully so. There are far worse things the 21-year-old could have done, or has done already. Whether it’s his ridiculous haircuts, his outlandish eye black that doesn’t intimidate anybody, or his comments regarding his spot in the batting order, Harper has yet to understand what a Major Leaguer should act like.
You can’t blame Harper for acting the way he does. He was a heralded high school athlete who made the cover of the ESPN magazine before he was able to drive a car. He skipped his last year of high school to enroll in community college, not because he wanted to earn a degree, but because he wanted to be draft-eligible while facing better competition. Harper was the first overall pick in 2010 and was moved up through the farm system faster than one of his home runs leaving a ballpark. With all of that talent also comes just as big of an ego. He has been ejected for arguing, tried to break his bat over his leg, and taken each opportunity to show everyone that he is a Major League Baseball player.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) August 10, 2014
Harper was in last year’s Home Run Derby and is a two-time All-Star. We see you Bryce. We know who you are. The antics need to stop though. It’s childish and annoying. They may provide entertainment value for some, but the cameras are always on you as they have been for some time. Trying to say you weren’t thinking about the logo while you tried to sweep your foot across doesn’t work either. Mike Trout wouldn’t pull a stunt like that. But there in lies a small difference in the two young superstars.