Thursday, August 18, 2011
Harper leaves game with hamstring strain
Updated at 11:38 p.m.
Bryce Harper had to be helped off the field in the eighth inning of Class AA Harrisburg's game tonight at Akron, the Nationals' top prospect after suffering a right hamstring injury that could prematurely end his first professional season.
Harper was advancing from first to third base on a double by teammate Archie Gilbert when he pulled up lame.
Amateur video showed the 18-year-old outfielder being helped off the field by Harrisburg manager Tony Beasley and a team trainer, not putting any weight on his right leg.
The Nationals later announced the injury as a hamstring strain and said Harper would be re-evaluated Friday.
There are only 2 1/2 weeks remaining in the minor-league season, so Harper wouldn't have much time to return to play if the injury is at all serious. A Nationals club official said unless Harper is capable of playing in the next couple of days, he'll likely be shut down for the remainder of the regular season.
Harper is expected to play in the Arizona Fall League, which begins in mid-October, for the second straight year.
In 36 games with Harrisburg, Harper is hitting .254 with three homers, 12 RBI and a .324 on-base percentage. In 108 total games this season between Harrisburg and Class A Hagerstown, he's hitting .297 with 17 homers, 58 RBI, 26 stolen bases and a .391 on-base percentage.
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14 comments:
Faaaaannnntastic..................
Ladson tweets that it's a hammy but that it looks minor. I hope he's right.
AD
Can we do an exorcism on the franchise or something?
He left a game with a sore leg. Big deal.
Numerous times, I've left a bar with a really bad headache...I just didn't know it until morning. But not in a long, long time. I'm just too old for that nonsense.
I'm glad it's a comparatively minor injury. Makes sense to sit the kid until the AFL.
Meantime, who says the Nats aren't in contention? Desmond is in serious battle for the worst offensive player in baseball.
As of tonight, here are the Foul Five:
No. 152 in MLB -- Ian Desmond with a .597 OPS (.277 on base percentage plus .320 slugging percentage.)
153. Adam Dunn -- .596 OPS (.298 plus .298)
154. Aaron Hill -- .587 OPS
155. Orlando Cabrera -- .579 OPS
156. Alex Rios -- .569 OPS.
Desmond might not catch Rios, but he looks like a lock for NL LVP.
That's kinda harsh, Drew. Desmond does have a positive WAR according to FanGraphs. According to them, Raul Ibanez would be LVP of the NL, solely because of his wretched defense. Aubrey Huff, Lyle Overbay and James Loney also draw negative WARs.
Desmond is 10th from last, right in front of Ryan Ludwick.
As for Harper, bad news, but doesn't seem totally terrible either, especially if he can come back for the AFL. Not like he was coming up in September anyway.
It would be lame if he can't make the AFL, but it's not really that big of a deal if he misses the last 2 weeks of the season. It'll make his final AA line kind of disappointing (.254/.324/.397), but as long as he doesn't push it in the offseason then he should be fine.
I ate a hot dog last night and went to bed with a minor case of heart burn. But I digress.
Feel better, kid. But it's not the end of the world if you miss the last 2 weeks in order to fully heal.
N. Cognito said...
He left a game with a sore leg. Big deal.
Numerous times, I've left a bar with a really bad headache...I just didn't know it until morning. But not in a long, long time. I'm just too old for that nonsense.
August 18, 2011 11:47 PM
Yeah, if Bryce is finished this year at Harrisburg, his stats there are a little disappointing. I'll bet he had the worst year of any 18-year-old in AA.
Looking forward to seeing him next spring in Viera!
Desmonnd did have a simply awful year. I truly believe Espinosa will be our long term SS and Lombardozzi our 2b. We'll see next Spring in Viera.
As for Harper, you can't know the severity of the injury until an MRI. If he tore the hammy, it's a 6 month or longer recovery. Hopefully it's just a strain.
Dang! I think all our players are injury prone. They must be human or something.
That's because the Lerners are too cheap to invest in superhuman players. Boooo!!! [sarcasm off]
Boy you people must hate the nats or washington
This will leave the team with fewer chances. Injuries can be prevented with proper training.
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