This won’t shock anybody, but the Washington Nationals just made Bryce Harper, the 17-year-old catcher out the College of Southern Nevada, the first overall selection in the 2010 MLB Draft.
Here is the MLB.com scouting report summary:
Strengths: His bat, from hitting abilty to his plus, plus power. He’s got great arm strength from any position, particularly behind the plate. He’s very aggressive and hustles at all times.
Weaknesses: Some worry about his ability to catch in the long-term. When hitting, he fought jumping out at pitches and getting out front a bit.
Summary: The Bryce Harper story is well-documented at this point. Just 17 and in junior college, he’s gotten as much hype as any Draft prospect not named Strasburg. For the most part, he’s lived up to it in his first college season, showing incredible hitting and power skills. He’s moved around on the field and has plus arm strength from anywhere, though most would like to see him catch. The only questions that seem to remain with Harper is if he’ll go No. 1 overall and then, if he’ll sign.
Another Strasburg? That isn’t a bad thing.
Check Federal Baseball, SB Nation's Nationals blog, for further reaction.