Expect Bryce Harper hoopla during March 28 Braves-Phillies game

One of the biggest things to affect the Atlanta Braves this week didn’t directly involve any of the Braves players or the team itself.

Last week, Washington Nationals free-agent right fielder Bryce Harper signed a record-setting, 13-year, $330 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. Harper is a 26-year-old Las Vegas native, so many Braves fans were hoping that he’d sign with the Dodgers or Giants, which would get this formidable player out of Atlanta’s division, the National League East. Unfortunately, Harper’s move to Philadelphia keeps him within the division, which means that Atlanta will still have to see him 19 times during the upcoming regular season.

Atlanta won’t have to wait long to face Harper this season. Just four days after Opening Day, Atlanta is scheduled to play the Phillies on March 28, the first of a three-game series that will wrap up on March 31. The March 28 game will be Philadelphia’s home-opener, so there will be a lot of hoopla over Harper’s debut in the “City of Brotherly Love.” It’ll be fun to tune in and listen to the crowd’s reaction to Harper’s initial introduction.

For the record, Harper’s contract is the highest contract in the history of North American professional sports – football, basketball and hockey included. In the world of sports contracts, the number $330 million might not sound like a lot, but consider this: Harper will be paid $25,384,615 per year before taxes. When you consider that the average professional baseball game is about three hours long and that the regular season is 162 games long, Harper will be paid $52,231 per hour for the next 13 years under his current contract.

I’ve enjoyed watching Harper play over the years because he’s a true “five-tool” player. He hits for a high average, hits a lot of long balls, steals a fair number of bases, can throw you out from just about anywhere on the field and can field his position at a high level. Classic five-tool players include such greats as Ken Griffey Jr. and Willie Mays.

With that said, many fans don’t like Bryce Harper. He’s somewhat of a villain, and at times he can be very intense and abrasive. To me, he’s somewhat of a modern-day Ty Cobb – a salty old outfielder who gets booed just about everywhere he goes.

Cobb made nowhere near $330 million, but he did end up in the Hall of Fame. I suspect that Harper will also one day be enshrined in the Hall. In the meantime, he’ll be laughing all the way to the bank, despite all of the folks who don’t like him.

Personally, I enjoy watching the game well played, so I plan to enjoy watching Harper continue to do what he’s been doing, that is, playing the game at a high level. Even though he’s on a team that competes against the Braves, he won’t play them every night. Even when the Phillies do face the Braves, Harper likely won’t be able to carry the team each and every time. His teammates, for the most part, will have to carry their own weight. If not, they’ll have a hard time having much success, despite their high-paid right fielder.