Not saying you’re wrong. Harper could use a good talking to. However, Hamilton was into drugs in high school and it went downhill fast once he had the money to get whatever he wanted.

Harper is from a pretty tight-nit, conservative family and has a very different support structure than Hamilton. I don’t think its a great fit.

But just because you haven’t heard anything about an 18 year old doesn’t mean you wont when he’s 21. Hamilton famously disintegrated when he was in his early 20′s. Perhaps if one of his peers had spoken to him from a position of knowledge and experience he’d have had a different life? That’s not so far fetched at all.

As to their similarities, do I need to spell it out?
Well then, here it is,
Famous at a young age

A lot of money at a young age

A lot of success at a young age

A lot of media scrutiny

See Haprper’s “Tebow” & Hamilton’s “God told me I’d Homer”: 1 in jest and the other in all seriousness. A lesson for each perhaps.

Who else can you alang(etc) think of that has the a better cautionary tale, a better parallel at the same age? Perhaps he should go talk to some ‘guidance counselor’? A guy without the same frame of reference perhaps?

Harper’s taking a bit of a basting for how he’s perceived by the public. He is no doubt listening to all kinds of sycophants telling him how great he is. You got a better person than Hamilton for how to deal with that and where you might end up if you buy into it?

What precisely is wrong with a person like Hamilton, speaking to a person like Harper? A kid, who at 18 is more like the 18 year old Hamilton, than just about any other person I can think of? I realize I am asking you to carry out a bit of research and look at someone from the perspective of how they were perceived in the year 2000, but I think you have access to the interwebs. It’s not that hard…

Seems his most likely track would be to return to Harrisburg and conquer the AA level, at least hitting-wise. Also, to improve his outfield play and baserunning. Meanwhile, the Bryce Harper Watch will begin, demanding immediate MLB call-up based just on his hitting potential.

Burn the unwritten rule book, kid. Just make sure your performance can back it all up.

I have never heard anything about Harper and the kind of demons Josh Hamilton has had. Just because he is a perceived to be a jerk publicly doesnt mean he needs mentoring from a former #1 pick who had his troubles. If Harper is good at his job and avoids breaking the law, he’ll be fine…there is a long history of brash young ball players who turned out alright

If anyone has any clout that reads these sports blogs (and if they don’t read them, they should. We commenters are geniuses) this should be made to happen. Guys like Hamilton have not only success to talk about handling but also public perception, coping with media scrutiny, and dealing with people trying to goad you from the stands. He & Harper should really sit down for a good chin wag.