Dusty Baker says pitchers who challenge Bryce Harper are 'young fools'
Bryce Harper is off to a red-hot start and will repeat as the unanimous NL MVP if he keeps abusing opposing pitchers like he has in April.
Harper, 23, has a ridiculous .318/.434/.818 slash line with nine homers and a major league-best 24 RBI in the Washington Nationals' first 20 games. But perhaps his most stunning stat is that he has struck out just 10 times.
As for the pitchers who are brave enough to challenge Harper, Nationals manager Dusty Baker displayed a Harper-like brashness when discussing the outcome in those situations.
"A lot of pitchers don't like running from you. Some of these guys have never run from anybody ... and they still like the challenge of facing the best. ... There are gonna be some young fools out there that try," Baker told USA Today.
Baker has noticed that Harper is getting fewer pitches to hit, and he is preaching patience.
"You have to increase your concentration and patience because you might only get one or two pitches to hit, and when you get 'em, you can't miss 'em," Baker said. "Barry Bonds was the best at that."
