People have been looking for someone to replace Derek Jeter as the face of MLB, and Nationals RF Bryce Harper so far this season "certainly looks like a prime candidate," according to the N.Y. Daily News' Frank Isola. Fans may "look at Mike Trout with the Angels ... but Bryce Harper is a tremendous talent." ESPN's Israel Gutierrez said Harper has "all the makings to be baseball's guy, to be the poster." Gutierrez: "We've had the good guy, we've had St. Jeter for a while. You mentioned Mike Trout, but where's the personality, where's the thing to really cling to? You have [Marlins RF] Giancarlo Stanton hitting 475-foot bombs, but the personality is not there yet. Bryce seems to have it. He seems to have the production. He's got the hair. It's made for TV" ("The Sports Reporters," ESPN, 5/24). ESPN's Jon Sciambi said of Harper, "When you look at Major League Baseball from a broader scope, he does it with some personality.” ESPN’s Rick Sutcliffe noted Harper “has graduated to be the player everybody predicted” (“Nationals-Cubs,” ESPN, 5/26). ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick wrote Trout is "beloved in part because he plays the game with 1950s-caliber simplicity." However, for all his "greatness between the lines," he is "pure vanilla off the field." Harper, in contrast, "is Baskin-Robbins 31 flavors drenched in postgame chocolate syrup." Trout "might be the surer long-term bet and the superior player, but Harper, by virtue of his split personality, is infinitely more compelling." Harper in private, by all accounts, is "respectful of baseball history, family-oriented and dedicated to his Mormon faith." He has "never done anything to embarrass his organization off the field." However, Harper on the field "hits long home runs and comes with a heaping side of bombast." He "grates on umpires, flings equipment, plays with an edge befitting a young Pete Rose and elicits strong reactions on both sides of the aisle" (ESPN.com, 5/25).
