Work in progress: Nationals demote Harper to minors

VIERA, Fla. -- Washington Nationals manager Davey Johnson believes 19-year-old Bryce Harper has all the tools to be a star in the major leagues.

Just not yet.

Harper, the Las Vegan who was baseball's No. 1 overall draft pick in 2010, was one of four cuts the Nationals announced after Sunday's 11-7 exhibition loss to the Detroit Tigers.

Harper will start the year at Triple-A Syracuse and get a lot of work in center field, which will ideally be his position if and when he is called up to the big leagues this year.

Harper hit a ninth-inning double after striking out in his first four at-bats Sunday. He is hitting 8-for-28 (.286) this spring with no home runs, two doubles, two walks and 11 strikeouts in nine games.

Harper acknowledged he was disappointed by the demotion, "but I'm just going to take it, and go down there and work hard and try to get up here as quick as I can. Of course you want to come in here and make the team every year. Hopefully, that's the last time I'll get sent down. But it's what happened. I wasn't expecting it, but it's OK."

Johnson told reporters last season he expects Harper to have quality at-bats at the major league level at age 19, and said Sunday he still feels that will happen.

"The timing to me just wasn't quite right," Johnson said Sunday. "It's close. Real close. I'd like to have his bat in this lineup, I've made no secret of that. As far as I'm concerned, he doesn't really need to work on a whole lot."

Unlike his first spring training last season, when the Nationals essentially told Harper he was not going to play in the major leagues, there is a different sense this season. Johnson said if Harper plays the way he thinks he is capable, he won't be in the minors for very long.

Harper especially wants to be around if the Nationals make a playoff push.

"I think we're a contender, even if I'm not on the club," Harper said. "It's going to be a great thing for me to go down, get better, and then come back up and hopefully help out the club. I want that."