VIERA, Fla. — It’s hard to get worked up about a February press conference in baseball. There’s so much time between now and October, not to mention the five weeks of meaningless games between now and Opening Day on April 6. It’s impossible to dub anything that happens now, short of maybe a season-ending injury, a significant moment in the course of the season.
That said, I found Bryce Harper’s comments Wednesday afternoon to be fascinating on a number of levels, the first of which was obvious: his confidence. Harper has never lacked in that department, but he has done a good job of hiding his bravado over the past two years. I think at times, he has tried to tone it down a bit and let his more veteran teammates (Adam LaRoche, Ian Desmond, Ryan Zimmerman) set the tone.
On Wednesday, I saw a guy who is completely comfortable with his own personality, public perception be damned. It was refreshing, and it was more 17-year-old Harper than 21-year-old Harper. That could be good news for the Nationals. A confident-bordering-on-cocky Harper is a nightmare for anyone who has to face him.
I also took the way he spoke about the franchise as a significant sign. Obviously every athlete raves about his own team, and of course he could still turn around and unceremoniously sign with the Yankees as a free agent in 2019. Talk is cheap. But not many people speak as glowingly about their team, their city and their GM as Harper did Thursday when asked about his arbitration issue over the winter.
“I absolutely love Mike Rizzo, and the way he went about everything,” Harper said. “It’s business and that’s how it is. I absolutely love this organization.”
He later added: “I’m going to stick and do what I need to do to help this organization win.”
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Harper has legitimate confidence in his abilities. That’s never been questioned. Yet it’s also now clear just how much confidence he has in the franchise, not just this season but in the long haul. Take his comments about bringing a championship to D.C. in concurrence with the following response, to a question about whether he’d like to see teammates take long-term deals now to keep their core together.
“We’ve got a great team right now, so I think worrying about what we need to this year is where we need to be, not about if we’re going to sign a guy long-term or this or that,” Harper said. “Of course, if you look at all the great teams that have stayed together, they’ve done what they have. Prime example: you look at the Yankees back in the day. They all stayed together for as long as they did. They had their core five, their core six that they had, and they won, and they won multiples. So definitely you have that family, you have that camaraderie you want, you need inside the clubhouse.”
Will some of Harper’s teammates be a little upset by the “where’s my ring?” remark and his talk of hoisting a trophy over monuments? Perhaps. But I think at this point, the veterans know what he’s about. They know how hard he works, and they know how valuable his confidence is to this team. The players that I spoke to, before Harper addressed the media, went back to the same point: This season, they just want Bryce to be Bryce.
On Wednesday, that’s who we saw. And if he can back up his words with his play this season, look out.
Breakfast links
— From today’s paper: Bryce Harper enters 2015 with boundless confidence, and his eyes toward a championship.
SEE ALSO: Nationals’ Bryce Harper: ‘I’m going to bring back a title to D.C. no matter what’
— Also from today’s paper: columnist Deron Snyder on new commissioner Rob Manfred and his receptiveness to change.
— Anthony Rendon talks about his offseason and goals for 2015.
— Jayson Werth will be limited, but Nationals are mostly healthy entering first full-squad workout.
Workout observations
— It was a pretty quiet day. After four days of alternating bullpen sessions between two groups, the bullpen was empty Wednesday. Everyone got something of a break before the team’s first full-squad workout.
— I have an increasing appreciation of guys who pay attention to detail in PFPs, even in the smallest of moments. On Wednesday, for example, I saw it in two new arrivals: Max Scherzer and Evan Meek. Both were asked to simulate throwing a pitch in separate drills, and both took their time in the set like they were in an actual game. Rather than walking up to the mound and just faking a throw, they paused, pretended to stare down an imaginary runner, held the imaginary ball for 3-4 seconds and mimicked a complete follow-through. Such a small thing, but I appreciate that. (For the record: they are not the only two pitchers who have done that this week, just the two that stood out to me on this particular day.)
— The catchers got to take batting practice, and Wilson Ramos made the most of it. He was absolutely crushing balls to left field, including some that splashed into a pond over the fence.
— Another catcher who impressed, but for a different reason: Dan Butler. The catchers practiced throwing down base-runners, and even in this relatively straightforward drill, Butler was extremely impressive. He transferred the ball from mitt to hand and snapped it to the intended base faster than anyone else I saw. His throws were hard and, for the most part, accurate. He has a reputation for being a tremendous defensive catcher, and he lived up to the billing there.
Worth watching
Obvious: the team’s first full-squad workout. It’ll begin at 10 a.m. and run a little bit longer than we’re accustomed to, until around 12:30. I’ve seen the schedule but am curious to see how a team workout ebbs and flows in comparison to pitchers/catchers. Also, Williams said they’ll be working on bunting. My favorite.
Quote of the day
Courtesy of — who else? — Bryce Harper.
“Playing right field, pitchers better watch out a little bit on that little ground ball to right field,” he said. “They better be hustling, because you know I’m coming with it.”
Quote of the day, Part II
Sadly this quote from Drew Storen didn’t fit in the Harper story, but I’d like to pass it along anyways. I asked Storen about a similarity between he and Harper: both players rose to the majors extremely quickly and were, in essence, asked to go through their growing pains at the sport’s highest level. This was Storen’s response.
“First of all, I see where the parallel is but he’s in a completely different ballpark,” Storen said. “And the way he’s handled it is pretty impressive. I mean, he’s come up and had a target on his back since Day 1, just because of the amount of talent he has. Like you said, there are a lot of things you have to learn when you get to the big leagues, but he’s done a great job of being able to manage the expectations, and then also making those adjustments at the same time. So it’s impressive. It’s one of those things where I can’t imagine being in his shoes with the amount of pressure that he has. I see the parallel, but it’s to the most extreme extent.”
• Tom Schad can be reached at tschad@washingtontimes.com.
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