Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper is one of the best young players in baseball today. He has taken the MLB by storm since his rookie season in 2014 and has not looked back since.
However, the one thing he could work on is his base-running abilities. While he has the highest on-base percentage in the league with .456, he still is not a great base runner and Miami Marlins hitting coach Barry Bonds is trying to give the NL East rival some free advice.
“He’s going to need to learn to steal bases and get to second base and make his teammates’ job easier,” Bonds told the Associated Press. “…. Bryce Harper can only do what his job is. If they walk him, his job is to go to first base and then run bases. His teammates’ job is to drive him in.”
During his rookie season, he had a career-high 18 stolen bases, but that number dropped to six during the 2015 season. Bonds talked about he had to learn how to steal since he was intentionally walked more than any other player in MLB history.
“My kids used to tell me, `Daddy, I’m sorry they walk you all the time,'” Bonds, who led baseball in intentional walks 12 times and tops the all-time list with 688, said. “I said, `Yeah, but my job’s now to steal.’ I could run then, so I had to steal bases and my job’s to score runs and keep the pressure on the team regardless of what happened. But I had a different game than him.”
Harper was the NL MVP last season and he certainly has a bright future ahead of him. However, if he is ever going to be on a Hall of Fame level like Bonds, he might want to take his advice to heart.
Can’t get enough of Campus Sports? Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to stay updated with the latest news and exclusive giveaways!
*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports
