Bryce Harper becomes part of five-man final vote for National League All-Star roster - MLB
Tony LaRussa, National League All-Star manager, chooses the Washington Nationals’ rookie outfielder Bryce Harper for the five-man final vote of the National League All-Star roster. Voting by fans will end on Thursday. Along with Harper, Michael Bourn, David
Freese, Aaron Hill and Chipper Jones will be vying for the spot.
Competition is fierce. It will not be easy for Harper to manage a spot. Third-baseman for the Atlanta Braves, Chipper Jones is being touted as the player who will be earning maximum number of votes.
He is in his last season and afterwards the fans will never see him at Major League level.
Jones has graced the League for years with his splendours on the plate. Losing him will create an unbridgeable void in the realm of slugging. Therefore, despite the fact Jones does not want to appear in the All-Star game at the expense of new-comers, he
is perfectly poised to earn a call from the fans.
However, that does not mean Bryce is not going to stir the senses of those fans who want to see some flamboyance featuring in the All-Star roster. A 19-year-old rookie, who has roared his credentials in the season with tremendous displays of power on plate,
creates some obvious hype. Therefore, it will be no surprise if the hype translates into votes by fans.
For many experts, Harper is a future legend. His instincts and belligerency on the plate complement what one expects from a prolific slugger. While his entry in the season owes largely to circumstances than anything pre-planned, he charged the Nationals’
offence in such a manner that it appears without him, they will have suffered immensely.
He found a place in the Nationals’ line-up mainly due to injuries by Jayson Werth and Michael Morse. Before start of the season, Werth was scheduled to play the role which Harper is performing right now. Homers and speed with which Harper travels across
the bases, Werth was set to fare something similar, before getting injured and sitting out for weeks.
Such a tantalising opening of a Major League career by Harper and becoming a hero within just a few days can crown him with the privilege of being a part of the spot-light on All-Star day.
Tags: