Harper's not lacking confidence

VIERA, Fla. - If Bryce Harper can back up the words he spoke this afternoon, then notify the park police: There's going to be a parade with red and white floats coming down Constitution Avenue in early November.

Oozing with confidence, the 22-year-old Harper sat on the bench in the first base dugout at Space Coast Stadium and delivered his preamble for the 2015 Nationals season.

"I absolutely love this organization," Harper said. "I love the city that I play for. And I'm not done here. Like I said before, five years ago when I first signed here, I'm going to bring back a title to D.C. no matter what. And I'm getting chills thinking about it. I mean, I absolutely want to do that for this city, this town, and I don't care how long it takes me. I'm going to stick and do what I need to do to help this organization win. They showed me what they wanted and how they wanted to do it and got that deal done, and I'm here for the next two years definitely and I'm excited to get going this year and doing the things that I need to do to bring a title back to D.C. and hoist that trophy over the monuments."

There are still 162 games to be played and in case you've forgotten, two rounds of playoffs to get through before the Nationals can actually reach the World Series. However, with the fire Harper displayed in his voice maybe President Obama should start scheduling the visit to the Rose Garden.

Harper's eyes lit up when he began sharing his reaction to finding out that former American League Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer was joining his team, which already included some of the game's most powerful arms.

"I just started laughing," Harper joked. "I was like, 'Where's my ring?' You know what I mean? It's stupid. It's absolutely stupid how good our staff is."

He could barely keep a straight face as even he skipped the season and went straight to October when boasting about his team's starting rotation.

"I mean, to add a Cy Young (winner), to add a guy that's unbelievable in the postseason - if you have to go into a five-game set in the postseason, looking ahead like I told you I wouldn't -, but if you have to go into a five-game set against a team, you're going to have to face (Jordan) Zimmermann, (Doug) Fister, Scherzer and Stras (Stephen Strasburg)," he continued. "I mean, good luck. Because that's insane. Going into that, it's just, I'm crying because it's hilarious having to go in there and face them. It's absolutely stupid. We have the best staff in all of baseball, I don't care what nobody says."

Nationals manager Matt Williams watched several of the batting practice balls he threw to Harper earlier in the afternoon fly high into the cloud-covered skies and well over the right field wall. Afterward, Williams said he was not only looking for big things from Harper on the field, but off it, as well.

"In the clubhouse, he can become certainly more of a leader and help our team along the way," Williams said.

It's impressive that Williams is looking at Harper to set a standard on a team full of seasoned veterans.

"I don't know if I need to do the vocal part," Harper said. "I think we have guys like Ian Desmond, Jayson Werth and Ryan Zimmerman that do certain things. I know the way I play is going to lead by example, so that's the biggest thing. If I can go out there and play hard every single day, that's more than words. If I'm putting that on the table and doing certain things and running balls out and playing just as hard as I can, that's all I need to do."

Harper bristled a bit when asked about his health coming into the season. He's missed 106 games over the past two seasons, which has led some to question the durability of the young star.

"It's funny to me because everyone says I'm injury prone,' said Harper. "That's hilarious to me because I've never blown a hammy or a shoulder or anything like that, knock on wood. But it's more impact stuff. Hitting the wall, blowing the bursa. Sliding into third base on a triple and tearing my tendon. So this year, I'll just play a little smarter. Try to do the things I need to do to help this team win. Still have that edge, still have that fire that I play with and enjoy the game."

Williams is moving Harper from left to right field this season to utilize his speed and arm. He's played in 91 games in right over his first three seasons and figures to find himself on plenty of top 10 highlight shows by surprising greedy baserunners with his laser-like throws.

"I'm just excited that I can show off my arm a little more," said a grinning Harper. "I love to throw guys out. It's tough to do that from the left side of the field. You don't get that first to third, you don't get that second to home a lot depending on where you play unless it's in a corner or something like that. Playing right field, pitchers better watch out a little bit on that little ground ball to right field. They better be hustling, because you know I'm coming with it."

When was the last time you heard of a right fielder threatening to throw out a runner at first on a hit to the outfield?

That's the sort of brashness that was on display when Harper spoke to media members, who were hanging on his every word. Today he showed some of the cockiness that accompanied him when he was drafted by the Nationals with the first overall pick five years ago. Already a two-time All-Star in his first three seasons in the majors, Harper knows the lofty expectations that surround him, but says he doesn't worry about them.

"I'm 22 years old playing the game I love" he said. "That's it. I get to come out here and play the game that I love every single day, and I'm not sitting behind a desk or at school or doing anything like that. I'm playing baseball, and that's good enough for me. I have my family that loves me dearly. I'm able to come into this clubhouse with a team that loves me every single day, and of course I want to be the best I can for this organization, this team. And I put more pressure on myself than anybody in this world. So that's why I work hard every single day and do the things that I do so I can get better and play better. All I've got to do is stay healthy. I stay healthy and the sky's the limit. That's all I need to do, and we'll see where I'm at."