Hagerstown skipper: "No question Harper is a ball player"

HAGERSTOWN, Md. - Nationals No. 1 draft pick Bryce Harper makes his home debut tonight at Municipal Stadium. There were seats available two hours before first pitch and fans filed in wearing "Harperstown" t-shirts. Harper comes home hitting .250 with one homer early on in his first professional season. The Suns arrived home by sleeper bus at 8 a.m. from Lexington, Ky. The players had to report to the field by 2:30 p.m. The Suns were very impressive on their road trip through Rome, Ga., and Lexington, going 6-2. Hagerstown manager Brian Daubach was impressed with what he saw from Harper in the first 10 days. "There is no question he is a ball player," Daubach said. "I have seen a lot of really talented guys that weren't really students of the game. You can tell he is really into the history of baseball. He is just a ball player that has a ton of talent." Daubach said learning how to be successful started quickly for Harper with a long road trip with overnight bus rides through Georgia and Kentucky. "We have a really young team," Daubach said. "Bryce is along in that category. They are all going to learn on the run here. I think he went 0-for-9 at one point. It is probably the first time in his career he has done that. It is dealing with the ups and downs. He will probably have a lot more ups than downs. "It is a daily grind. That is part of getting through a full season."