On Bryce Harper, and his latest injury

Bryce Harper not only hits the DL – but will require surgery on his left thumb. This injury will sideline him for at least two months, robbing the fans of baseball of one of it’s better young players; and robbing one of the better young players in the game of his season. This could easily make 2014 a lost year for Bryce Harper, done before it ever really got underway.

And it absolutely sucks. It sucks for everyone involved. It’s the ugly side of the game.

But I want to touch on something that I noticed before Harper got hurt. I don’t think he likes Matt Williams, I’ll come right out and say it. I witnessed a player who was not having fun playing the game, and I think the reason behind it was a manager who did everything he could to hit Harper towards the bottom of the order. Let’s just forget the benching for lack of hustle altogether, since Harper said he agreed with it. I think as Harper hits the DL, he does it with a sense of great relief; and I personally think he was at a point where he wasn’t enjoying something he’s mostly always enjoyed.

Harper has not shown the ability to stay healthy with any regularity in his big league career. Pundits want to blame Matt Williams for this injury and that’s not really fair either; Harper had a lot of trouble staying healthy regularly before Williams wore a Washington uniform. Whether it was a flu, a knee, a ding, a bang, a scrape, Bryce Harper is a magnet for any type of injury big or small. That’s as important of a tool as a player can have, and Harper lacks it.

There is frustration from fans who love the game because this kid should have every opportunity to be an ambassador of the game.  Without staying healthy, he’ll never have the opportunity to do it.