Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper has been somewhat of an enigma since making his MLB debut at the age of 19 back in 2012. Seen as somewhat immature by those on the outside, this five-tool player has struggled to an extent this season. He’s hitting .254 with just four homers and 16 RBI’s.
It remains to be seen if Harper’s latest incident is a sign that he’s frustrated on the baseball diamond, but it definitely caught the attention of the division-rival Atlanta Braves.
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While we have no idea if Harper intentionally desecrated the Braves logo behind home plate, the team took exception to his antics.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) August 10, 2014
When asked about the situation, Harper attempted to play it cool.
Bryce Harper says he wasn't trying to kick Braves' A logo. "That's the last thing on my mind when I'm coming to the plate. I have no idea."
— James Wagner (@ByJamesWagner) August 10, 2014
Washington is currently in the midst of a divisional battle with Atlanta and the two have created a nice rivalry in the NL East over the past couple seasons. It has never really boiled over to confrontation on the diamond, but it’s rather obvious that the Braves didn’t like what they saw here. In addition to that, Harper isn’t about to admit he purposely slid his cleat across their logo. That would bring unwanted attention to the young man, who was recently the subject of questions directed at manager Matt Williams about a potential demotion to Triple-A.
H/T to Fox Sports for some of the information provided in this piece.
Photo: UPI.com