Hats Off to Bryce Harper

Yeah, it's been enough time. We should talk about him.

First of all, let me say this much: this custom is going up in my room, in a frame, when I do the custom reshuffle I've been meaning to do for five damn years. Bryce is going up there with Cutch, JT and Rhys in the Phillie section. And that custom deserves to be in a frame.

Now, about Bryce himself. Because obviously there's a lot to talk about.

My dad is convinced that the Bryce Harper deal is going to haunt not only Philadelphia, but Harper himself. In his eyes, the second Bryce slumps for a foreseeable period, the Philly fans are going to start booing him and never stop. Also, my dad thinks that Bryce is the wrong kind of sports personality for the Philly fans to really get behind. He's too cocky, he's not working-class enough, he's too west-coast, etc.

And from an outsider standpoint, the start Harper has gotten off to WOULD lead to boos. He's hitting .230, with 9 home runs and 34 RBIs, which is modest for Harper. Not bad, but modest. And you'd think that because he doesn't have 15 home runs and a .280 average, the Philly fans would be cursing him out and throwing him out of the city.

...but that hasn't happened yet.

Maybe it's the Phillies fans being more patient than usual. Maybe it's the size of the contract. Maybe it's the fact that Bryce Harper has changed his attitude, knows he hasn't been perfect as of late, and is working on improving. And in the past week, his average has been going up, he's been more productive at the plate, and he's getting a ton better.

I do think Bryce Harper is capable of having some vintage-Harper-sized seasons in Philly, but it's gonna take him some time to acclimate. It didn't happen immediately for Giancarlo Stanton in New York, or Max Scherzer in Washington. Harper is beginning to find his swing again, and could become a Philly hero in no time.

But even if he doesn't...I'm still putting that custom on my wall. I can't not.

Coming Tonight: One of the many home-run-hitting superstars on the Twins right now.