Harper shows flair in CSN debut

Washington Nationals scout Jeff Zona was happy to talk baseball during top-ranked College of Southern Nevada's season opener against Arizona Western on Friday -- so long as the discussion wasn't about Bryce Harper.

Harper, a 17-year-old CSN freshman who is the top-rated baseball prospect in the country, started at third base and went 1-for-3 with two RBIs and a walk in his college debut, an 11-4 CSN victory at Morse Stadium in Henderson.

Harper is projected to be taken by Washington with the first pick in June's first-year player draft. But Zona wasn't about to tip the Nationals' hand four months before draft day.

"I can't say anything about Bryce Harper," said Zona, one of five members of the Nationals organization on hand to scout Harper and others in the Coyote Border Battle tournament.

Washington assistant general managers Bob Boone and Roy Clark and scouting director Kris Kline also attended CSN's opener, witnessed by the largest crowd in the program's 11-year history, about 1,300. Kline also declined comment about Harper.

Coyotes coach Tim Chambers said 40 scouts attended Thursday's practice at CSN and estimated about 100 were at the game, which was scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. but didn't start until 8:15 p.m. after the previous tournament game ran late.

In Harper's much-anticipated debut since he appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated and skipped his last two years of high school, the 6-foot-3-inch left-handed hitter walked and scored in the first inning, hit an RBI single and stole second base in the second, flied to center in the fourth and struck out swinging in the sixth.

Harper capped his night by hitting a sacrifice fly to left field in the eighth inning during an attempted intentional walk. He reached out and poked the opposite-field drive for his second RBI.

Harper was not available for comment. Older brother Bryan Harper, who got the win with seven strikeouts in 4 1/3 relief innings, said it wasn't the first time Bryce has foiled an intentional walk.

"If they're not going to execute the walk, he's going to make them pay," Bryan said.

Chambers said, "I didn't know what the heck (happened). The guy was trying to walk him and, 'Boom.' I thought Marvin (Campbell, the next batter) did something."

Chambers said he was pleased with Bryce Harper's performance.

"I thought he did great," he said. "He was patient, which was good. He wasn't jumping at the ball. It was good to get that first hit out of the way."

Harper, who had a throwing error at third in the fifth inning, is expected to catch today in CSN's noon doubleheader against Yavapai (Ariz.) College, and he'll also see action in the outfield this season.

Despite Harper's presence, Kline said it wasn't unusual for so many scouts to show up for a season-opening tournament.

"It's an early time of the year, so this is probably the best thing happening," he said. "With all the junior colleges starting right now and Bryce being one of the top guys in the country, as far as talent goes, it's a good place to be."

Arizona Diamondbacks scouting director Tom Allison said he wasn't concerned with how Harper would fare with a wood bat, which the Coyotes use most of the time.

"I don't think it really matters what's in his hand," he said. "He's a pretty strong young man."

Chicago White Sox scout John Kazanas said he was more concerned with how Harper would handle college pitching after cutting short his prep career.

"That's the No. 1 thing, because at the high school level they didn't have arms versus him that would be competition," he said.

Harper hit .626 with 14 homers, 55 RBIs and 36 stolen bases as a sophomore last year at Las Vegas High School, where he once hit a 570-foot homer. Those gaudy numbers have earned comparisons to fellow phenoms Alex Rodriguez and Ken Griffey Jr., among others.

But Allison said such comparisons aren't fair to Harper, who turned 17 in October.

"It's really unfair, in my opinion, to put those types of comparisons and pressure on these kids," he said. "They're young men trying to find their way, so let him go out and be a really good baseball player.

"He just happens to be in an arena that's going to be heavily scouted that will take him hopefully where he wants to reach, that pinnacle we'll all talk about five to 10 years from now."

• NOTES -- Coyotes pitchers finished with 16 strikeouts. Starter Joe Robinson had eight. ... CSN raised its ticket prices this season, to $8 for a single game (from $5) and to $12 for a doubleheader (from $8). The school also raised prices for the tournament to $8 per game and $25 for a tournament pass (from $20).

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or at 702-383-0354