Washington Nationals News: Scherzer awed by Harper’s continued ascent
By Pablo Roa
Good evening DoD readers, and welcome to today’s District Daily! Get caught up on the latest Nats news and opinions with some great Washington Nationals articles from around the web below.
In today’s Daily, MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo discusses how Max Scherzer continues to be impressed by Bryce Harper‘s rise to stardom this season. As DiComo notes, Scherzer has seen Harper grow monumentally this season, despite the fact that he’s only been watching him play for a few months.
Of course, this isn’t the first time that Scherzer has complemented his fellow All-Star this season, and the praise is definitely warranted. After all, Harper is leading the league in several major offensive categories and is headed to his third All-Star Game after earning more votes than anyone in the National League. Scherzer has been equally impressive this season, and both players have carried the Nationals to first place in the NL East this season.
But the fact that a player as accomplished as Scherzer constantly goes out of his way to praise the 22-year-old Harper is a testament to how much Harper has grown this season alone and how important both players are to the Nationals. The brightest spots on this team in 2015 have undoubtedly been Scherzer and Harper, so it’s not surprising that both players admire each other’s talents.
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Tomorrow night, both players will be representing the National League in the Midsummer Classic. And although Scherzer won’t pitch, the National League will still have the best pitcher in the game and the best hitter in the game in the same dugout. Fortunately for the Nationals, they get to experience that every single night.
Also in today’s Daily, the Washington Post’s Barry Svrluga gives us an excellent profile on Harper. Svrluga covers everything from Harper’s insane season to why he posed for ESPN The Magazine’s Body Issue, and how he is trying to change the way people think of baseball players and the game itself.
Be sure to check out both articles below, they’re definitely worth a read. And as always, stay tuned to DoD for all your Washington Nationals needs.
Scherzer awed by Harper’s continued ascent
CINCINNATI — From his vantage point as a newcomer to Washington, Max Scherzer has not had all that much time to process his opinion of Bryce Harper. He hasn’t needed much, either, to see what everyone else does.
“I’ve really gotten to see Bryce grow, even from the beginning of the year,” Scherzer said. “That’s what makes him so scary is he’s gotten better, and I feel like he has so much more room to get better. He has room to grow. He’s not done.”
Harper’s improvement has not been gradual; far from it. Heading into his third career All-Star Game, the National League’s best hitter — he’s still just 22 — has already set career highs in home runs, walks and RBIs — with two and a half months to go. The argument now is not whether he’s the best hitter in the District or even in the NL, but whether Harper is the best player in the game, period. Read full article here.
The reality of Bryce Harper is about to catch up with the myth
(Barry Svrluga, Washington Post)
The first stage of saying, in effect, “Hey! You over there. You’re wrong about baseball!” consisted of three workouts and six meals a day until it consisted of none, that final week when Bryce Harper consumed only juice. Seven different raw juices. Over the final two weeks, before he exposed each of his muscles to ESPN’s photographers, he put salt in his drinking water so he could hydrate himself without gaining weight.
On the final day, before he stripped naked and recorded the results for the world, he rose for one final workout, but when he went to refresh himself, he spit the water out. When he arrived at the field at the University of Nevada Las Vegas for the shoot, his system was completely depleted. He shoved raw, white potatoes down his throat because he knew the glucose and glycine they contained would run straight to his muscles — which yearned for something, any kind of nourishment they could find. Read full article here.