It's not often baseball's best prospect makes his debut against the Dodgers -- and that's exactly what's going to happen tomorrow at the latest.Bryce Harper was recalled by the Nationals today when their best player, Ryan Zimmerman, was placed on the 15-day disabled list.
Harper, the 2010 No. 1 overall pick, has two "80" grades, according to Baseball America. His power is unquestioned and he has a howitzer for a right arm.
Harper played predominantly catcher in college, but he'll play the outfield in the majors. He was thought to be the Nationals' future right fielder, but they're reportedly going to see if he can stick in center field, which increases his already sky-high value.
Luckily for him, he's going to miss tonight's game against Clayton Kershaw. As a left-handed batter, making his debut against Kershaw would have been most difficult. He should be int he Nats' lineup tomorrow against Chad Billingsley.
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The Dodgers called up a top prospect of their own, officially. Nathan Eovaldi, who has thrown two innings total in his last two starts, replaces Michael Antonini on the Dodgers' roster. Antonini replaced Matt Guerrier, who went on the disabled list. Antonini, however, didn't throw a pitch for the Dodgers. He was sent back to Triple-A Albuquerque.
Eovaldi will pitch out of the bullpen for now, as the rotation is set, despite Aaron Harang's sore foot.
I really, really hope the Dodgers still give him a chance to develop as a starter. At best, he could be a No. 2, but a No. 3 starter is a a lot more realistic (and so is a No. 4 starter). And a potential No. 3 starter is a lot more valuable than any relief pitcher.
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The Dodgers come into this Nationals' series losing two of their last three series against two of the top projected teams in the National League (Brewers and Braves). And the Nats are no slouch, sitting at 14-5 and the best record in the league. It'll be interesting to see how the Dodgers fare in this series. Kershaw vs. Ross Detwiler tonight, Chad Billingsley vs. Stephen Strasburg tomorrow and Chris Capuano vs. Gio Gonzalez on Sunday.
Photo credit: MissChatter, Flickr
Really, a guy that's never had a look at a Major League pitch being compared with the Mick,Jackie,and the Babe.And he sits out his first game for a better match up. Let him alone and the cream comes to the top by it's self.A sincere great career to the young man.
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