Why I mostly support Bryce Harper's decision to skip high school

[Auburn85 432]

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_leagu...?urn=mlb,170270

When big Bryce Harper made the cover of Sports Illustrated two weeks ago, I knew we'd soon again be hearing from the 16-year-old 'chosen one.'

But not quite this soon.

On Sunday, the sophomore from Las Vegas found his way into national headlines again when his father told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that Bryce will forgo his final two years of high school and use a GED to enroll in a community college this August. Though it more or less makes a mockery of our education system, the Harpers' plan would make Bryce eligible for the 2010 draft, where he could conceivably be the Nationals' No. 1 pick and eventually join forces with Stephen Strasburg to save Washington baseball from itself.

It's a controversial decision, to be sure, but Ron Harper says he and his son are prepared to hear from the inevitable haters:

"There are going to be critics. I can't worry about what people think," Ron Harper said. "People are going to see what they want to see and say what they want to say. I think this prepares him for life, playing the game of baseball.

"People question your parenting and what you're doing. Honestly, we don't think it's that big a deal. He's not leaving school to go work in a fast-food restaurant. Bryce is a good kid. He's smart, and he's going to get his education."

From my viewpoint, I'm not going to act like a truant officer on Harper's decision when viewed in a vacuum. It's quite clear that Harper has loads of talent, lives to play baseball and has been groomed to play professional baseball ever since he and his family realized that he was much better than everyone else. It's obvious he has that physical attributes to succeed and he'd be drafted in two years anyway, so why delay the inevitable? Is an 18-year-old really that much better equipped to handle the pressures of grand expectations than a 16-year-old? As much as people will want to say that Harper should stay in school like a normal kid, the truth is that whatever normal life he had disappeared the minute he showed up on the cover of a magazine at homes across the country.

Plus, in an age when tennis and golf prodigies leave their families for top-flight academies before the age of 10 and future basketball studs are identified in the sixth grade, what's the problem with Harper setting out on a very defined career path? Being the top pick in the draft could net him $20 million or more, so making a play while the chips are on his side is just simply a smart move — especially in the volatile world of baseball talent.

The problem I do have with it, though, is that there are no doubt thousands of delusional parents who will see this news and think that maybe it's a viable path for their nowhere-near-as-talented sons and daughters. While the Harpers can't make their decision based on what other lemmings might do, I hope the door closes behind them.

What do you think?

[Duder 238]

Unbelievable. I don't understand how his parents can assume this is the best decision for his future. HUNDREDS of can't-miss baseball prospects flop. If that happens to this kid he'll have his GED and a partial year community college on which to fall back.

[Ashandarei 0]

Unbelievable. I don't understand how his parents can assume this is the best decision for his future. HUNDREDS of can't-miss baseball prospects flop. If that happens to this kid he'll have his GED and a partial year community college on which to fall back.

.... Ooooooooooor millions of dollars. I can honestly say that I would take that risk as well.

[Duder 238]

Unbelievable. I don't understand how his parents can assume this is the best decision for his future. HUNDREDS of can't-miss baseball prospects flop. If that happens to this kid he'll have his GED and a partial year community college on which to fall back.

.... Ooooooooooor millions of dollars. I can honestly say that I would take that risk as well.

As the kid, hell yes. I'm saying his parents should be more responsible than that. His star power will only grow if he had two more stellar years in high school. Why advise your child to take this kind of a jump?

[BigSammyK 171]

While this may be highly uncommon in the US - it isn't in places like the Dominican and Cuba and the likes.

My take on it - if the kid doesn't pan out in a few years he'll have his GED and he'll be what? 20 at the most? He can easily go back to college then. I'm all for letting kids try to get into the majors (or NFL, NBA etc) at an early age. If they truly are that good then why not? An injury a couple years down the road could cost them HUGE $$ if they chose not to go pro.

So long as he plans on getting a real education someday - go for it kid.

[AURainman 6]

EVEN IF HE FLOPS he's gonna be guaranteed millions of dollars. With that kind of cash set aside, he can invest a good bit, get into college (paid for by HIS money) and earn a pretty decent living. If the MLB comes a callin' I'm answering. It's a pretty sweet deal.

Now, missing out on Junior and Senior year of High School? That's a pretty big deal. I'm not sure I'd give that up. That's the negative I see.

My point is, the money and education side of things aren't reasons to scoff at his decision. It all works out in the kid's favor.

[IndyTiger 3]

Doesn't MLB pay for college anyway when they are drafted out of high school? So he would still have that to fall back on if he doesn't make it. That's one of the reasons MLB justifies being able to draft straight out of high school.

Or would he not be able to get that since he will be getting a GED instead?