Bryce Harper throws out runner, draws ire of his manager
Bryce Harper certainly has a flair for the dramatic, even in spring training.
The Nationals faced the Astros on Monday afternoon and in the fifth inning Houston outfielder Alex Presley hit a line drive toward Harper in right field.
Harper took a slow route to the ball, baiting Presley into thinking he had a chance at taking an extra base. When he made the turn toward second, Harper sprang into action and delivered a dart to nail Presley at second.
[Yahoo Sports Fantasy Baseball: Sign up and join a league today!]
After the game Harper admitted it was all part of his master plan.
“I came up slow on that on purpose, just to see if he’d round the bag or something like that,” said Harper. “That’s something I want to play this year, something I really want to do this year. Coming up on the ball to try to take the extra bag, hopefully have a good throw to second base to get ’em out.”
It was an exciting play but one that Nationals manager Matt Williams could do without. He would prefer his star right fielder take a more conventional approach in the outfield.
“I thought he shouldn’t have even attempted to go to second,” said Williams. “[Harper] needs to get to that ball quicker, then the guy doesn’t even go. It’s a good throw, but if he pounces on that baseball, he doesn’t attempt to go.”
[Baseball is back! Check out Yahoo For Spring Training for great spring training pics.]
Williams let Harper know he wasn’t thrilled with the strategy and according to the Washington Post, Harper understands.
He wouldn’t be playing his game if he stopped pushing the envelope though. It’s a big part of what made him a two-time All-Star before he even turned 21. They know it’s a lot to ask, but in a perfect world Washington would like to see Harper, now 22, control his daredevil ways and be more consistent overall.
“Of course we know [Harper] has great talent, has the ability to do a lot of things. He brings special talents to the table. He can do a lot of things on the baseball field that will help us win,” Williams told MLB.com’s Phil Rogers. “But today he could have got on the ball quicker and stopped that guy at first. It was a great throw nonetheless, but we want to stop [the runner].”
More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:
– – – – – – –
Israel Fehr is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr
