The Harp-man

Baseball is a wonderful sport, the sport of my youth. It is looked back on fondly as we spin around this blue marble and march on. It is still a sport I follow as an aging (hey, who said aging) adult. I tend to follow the National League although I keep track of the AL.

Baseball has devolved into a business more than at any time in its past. At least in the public's eye although I'm sure to those who own teams it has always been a business. It just now touches the public more than ever in the past since we as a sporting public have access to sports news and topics 24/7.

That being said, I don't understand the runaway spending on players like Bryce Harper. Now don't get me wrong, I'm for anyone who gets paid for their efforts. Earn what you can earn. Complete blind loyalty to one organization isn't what it used to be several generations ago. I just don't see the value in someone who has a contract for $330 million dollars, whether it's spread out over 13 years or not. His stats when you look at them are good, but not worth that type of money in my opinion. In the prime of his career where he is now, he is only 13th among active players with a lifetime slugging percentage of 512. His batting average last year was a paltry .249. Although he has a lifetime batting average of .279, that's certainly respectable but hardly worth $25 million per year. As for home runs, he does have an average of 32 over 162 game season. That stat is more than respectable.

He is definitely a star in the baseball world and I will give him his due. I just don't believe a player with those stats is worth that kind of money. How much better does one player make in this game when you could spend that money on upgrading the rest of your team in other places.

But then again, I'm just a writer and retail manager. What do I know?