NEW YORK — Bryce Harper wasn’t biting.
When the question from a New York tabloid reporter posed the question about Harper possibly coming to the New York Yankees once his contract runs out, the 22-year-old stuck to the script with his answer.
“I love the Nationals,” Harper said before Tuesday’s 6-1 loss to the Yankees “I enjoy the Nationals organization and the fans that support me in right field every single day. I love running out there and seeing them out there. It’s a lot of fun.”
“The Nationals are such a great organization. Ted Lerner he gave me the opportunity to play in the big leagues. It’s just a fun time and we such a great team here and we enjoy it every single day.”
Free agency for Harper will be after the 2018 season and since he is client of Scott Boras, it will likely be a significant cost for his services and by then it might be the baseball equal of LeBron James’ two free-agency stints in 2010 and last summer.
Eventually Harper will address that and maybe even re-sign long-term with Washington like many other younger players. Tuesday was not one of those times he wished to discuss the topic no matter how the question was phrased.
Instead, Harper spoke about trying to hit the ball as hard as he could in a pre-draft workout in New York and how much he enjoyed watching Bernie Williams and Paul O’Neill growing up.
“I’m not sure. I was probably trying to launch because I was 14 years old,” Harper said. “I was just trying to hit the ball as hard as I could. I was trying to have a good time and hit the ball as hard as I could.”
As for his first game at Yankee Stadium, it was a mixed night. Harper hit his 20th home run and double in the ninth but also struck out trying to bunt on a 1-2 count that he explained as “trying to get on base” and manager Matt Williams declined to comment on.