As a high school baseball player, Bryce Harper stood 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighed 205 pounds – this is huge for a kid his age. However, that doesn’t stop Little League players from looking up to him. “He’s a great role model,” says one little league player, “he makes me feel like I can do impossible things like him.” With all due respect, why does this young man look up to you in awe? Right now, Bryce Harper will be the first draft pick in the 2010 Major League Draft of the Washington Nationals and will be one of the select few who will play professional baseball at the age of 17.
We cannot just look at these achievements; He’s already hitting record-setting home runs. On record, he hit an incredible 502-foot home run during the 2009 International Power Showcase at Tropicana Field. He was honored to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated because of his 570-foot home run. Harper is becoming quite popular with middle and high school students, even gaining the support of some parents of young baseball players. Not many parents would support the decision to drop out of high school to coach for a hard-earned baseball career, but Bryce’s parents did. However, according to Major League Baseball rules, he will finish his GED before the draft, probably during the summer of 2009.
Bryce Harper began swinging his baseball bat at the age of three. Little leagues across the country were looking for Harper to play for them when he was 8 years old; They even offered to pay for hotels and airfare if he played for their team. People, who had known Bryce since childhood, knew that he was going to achieve the impossible. Harper’s natural ability with the sport of baseball is undeniably incredible, and could be called a “once in a generation” genetic lottery.
In addition to being a role model based solely on his abilities, he also possesses a determination and dedication to the sport of baseball that should be admired even by veteran players. Many coaches who have seen Harper play baseball say his dedication is that of old baseball players; he wants to play well and do his best for the team he’s playing for. Bryce Harper’s parents never pushed baseball during his childhood. Ron Harper, Bryce’s father, is adamant about this.
“We have to do what’s best for him. All he wants to do is play baseball. He always has. The best thing we can do as parents is do what’s right for his future.”
You could say that many of Bryce Harper’s admirable characteristics come from his supportive family. Every strong baseball player needs a support system, and his family seems to be behind all of Bryce’s decisions all the time. Besides playing baseball, Bryce Harper does everything, like playing soccer, snowboarding, and doing whatever else he wants to do. Bryce Harper’s parents claim that he is still a normal Joe and a half, even though he stopped playing soccer. With his astonishing baseball competence, inspiring accomplishments, and determined attitude, it is clear that Bryce Harper has the potential to be a strong role model for other young baseball players.