The Los Angeles Dodgers will look for their second straight victory on Saturday at Dodger Stadium, but the main focus in Los Angeles will be the major league debut of Bryce Harper, who was recalled from Triple A Syracuse and will start in left field for the Washington Nationals in the second game of a three-game series.
Harper at 19 years, 195 days old will be the youngest player to make his major league debut since Felix Hernandez debuted for the Seattle Mariners at 19 years, 118 days old on August 4, 2005. Harper is the youngest to debut at Dodger Stadium since Adrian Beltre was 19 years, 78 days old on June 24, 1998.
The No. 1 overall draft pick in 2010, Harper is easily the most discussed prospect in baseball, and if he's not the number one overall position player prospect in the game then he's a close second behind Mike Trout, who was also recalled by the Los Angeles Angels and will play left field Saturday in Cleveland.
Harper was hitting .250/.333/.378 with one home run in 20 games in Syracuse, but he was also by far the youngest player in Triple A.
The debut of Harper overshadows the No. 1 overall pick from the year before he was picked, Stephen Strasburg, who has been stellar so far this season, which is pretty much par for the course for the Nationals' pitching staff. Strasburg is 2-0 in four starts and has only allowed three runs, good for a 1.08 ERA, with 25 strikeouts and six walks in 25 innings.
But the Nationals aren't the only 14-6 team taking the field Saturday night at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers beat Washington Friday night behind Clayton Kershaw and Andre Ethier, and will look for more of the same behind Chad Billingsley on Saturday. Billingsley is coming off his worst start of the season, allowing nine runs on Sunday in Houston, but on the season is 2-1 with a 3.04 ERA. Billingsley has 19 strikeouts and five walks in 24 innings.
For more Dodgers news and notes, be sure to read True Blue LA.
