Posnanski: Catch 22: Bryce Harper having one of the best seasons in history at his age
From SABR member Joe Posnanski at NBC Sports on September 21, 2015:
[Bryce] Harper’s brilliant future had once been a near certainty. Sports Illustrated had called him “Baseball’s Chosen One,” when he was 16, and that had been his general theme ever since. He won the Rookie of the Year Award, he got off to an insanely good start in his second year … and then it began to get muddled. Injuries. Inconsistencies. By the end of 2014, I think even many of Harper’s biggest fans worried that, while he would certainly become a star, he might not become that all-time superhero that once seemed certain. When this year began, one of those huge Harper fans told me, “I just hope he has a solid year, stays healthy and gets back on track.”
Instead: Harper skipped all that stuff and is having one of the great age-22 seasons in baseball history.
Some of the most famous seasons in baseball history happened when a player turned 22. It can be a very good year for gifted young players. Usually they are still new, the league hasn’t yet adjusted to them, they feel like they are invincible.
Read the full article here: http://sportsworld.nbcsports.com/bryce-harper-age-22-best-ever/
Originally published: September 21, 2015. Last Updated: September 21, 2015.