Quote Originally Posted by jsearles22 View Post
Quote Originally Posted by NaturalBornHustler View Post


Case in point, 9th inning last night Nats down 3-1 with 2 outs and Harper is up no one on. He tags a weak base hit to shallow left center, you know just a routine base hit no big deal right? WRONG! He comes out of the box hauling ass and rounds first full speed going for a double, and you could almost see the left fielders jaw drop as he said to himself "what the hell is this kid doing??". He is caught totally off guard throws it high to second and Harper legs out a double that he had no business getting, moving into scoring position.
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Not to be "that" guy, but the play you describe here is retarded and a rookie mistake. They were down two and by getting a hit the tying run will be up to the plate. How stupid does he look when he gets thrown out at 2nd to make the final out instead? Sometimes kamikaze isn't a good thing. Being at first or second make almost no difference down two.

The kid looks like a beast though. His arm is insane.
I want him to play with that same mindset at all times, it is what makes him great. And besides that fact, he has displayed an uncanny ability to pull off whatever he tries. Whether it be stealing home, diving for a ball in the outfield that is going all the way to the wall if you don't get it, or trying for that extra base it seems like he knows when to push that envelope and when not to. I can't remember one time so fasr that I have seen him try to be aggressive in whatever way and it not work.

He is just so special as a talent I think his "rules" are a little different, and you can give him the freedom to make those calls as long as he makes it +EV in the long run. The worst thing you could do is try to reign this kid in and start giving him limitations, that just would not work.