April 12 – Bryce As The Big Bass
Dusty Baker, on teams pitching around Bryce Harper, who already has 9 walks... pic.twitter.com/s0Z6VEltyD
— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) April 12, 2017
Anytime that Bryce Harper is put in the same sentence as a fish, it has to be the number one quote of the month on the countdown. During the week that this quote was made, Harper was having an incredible series against the Cardinals.
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In those three games, Harper went 5-for-10 with three RBI’s and drew five walks. This season, Harper has been more patient at the plate and it has led to a National League high 22 walks. In addition, he has nine home runs and 32 runs scored.
When Harper is healthy, he is as patient at the plate as anyone in the game. He is going to lay off the pitches that are very close to the corner and be selective before he gets a pitch to drive.
As Baker put it in this quote, you need to throw him “bait” to get him to chase pitches. We saw something similar to bait in the first two games of this past weekend’s Mets series when the New York pitchers would throw him offspeed pitches to get him to chase.
Baker has some fun references sometimes, but this one made us laugh and for good reason. When Harper is red hot at the plate, he is the hitter that pitchers just can’t seem to “reel in” when he’s locked in.
Next: Offense Finishes Historic April With A Bang
If you see a quote from Baker this month that you feel should make the May edition of the top five, send it to us on Twitter (@DistrictonDeck).