When Bryce Harper finally took the field on opening day last Thursday, the Syracuse Chiefs’ fans’ excitement immediately boiled over.

Despite bitter conditions – with the temperature dropping below 40 degrees – hundreds of fans pressed against the wall along the third-base line to try and obtain an autograph from the 19-year-old prodigy.

As Syracuse’s opponent, the Rochester Red Wings, emerged from the dugout during the announcement of its opening day lineup, Harper, baseball’s top prospect, reached out and signed baseballs, bats and other pieces of memorabilia.

‘Getting out there on opening day, it’s always fun,’ Harper said. ‘You get that nervous feeling, the butterflies and what not, but after the first pitch is thrown, all that goes out the door.’

After struggling in the spring, striking out 11 times in 28 at-bats, the stud outfielder was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse to begin the 2012 season. It didn’t take long for Harper to hit his stride in his first game in Syracuse. Harper finished 2-for-4 at the plate with a double, single and strikeout, one of the lone sources of offense for the Chiefs in their 7-4 opening-day loss to Rochester – the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins – in front of 6,178 fans at Alliance Bank Stadium on Thursday.

Through Syracuse’s first four games this season, Harper is batting .267 with three singles, one double and three strikeouts.

‘I think the best thing was me getting sent down to Triple-A and really getting on that grind every day, working in the cage and getting my routine back,’ Harper said after the season opener Thursday.

On opening day against the Red Wings, Syracuse had just two hits through six innings and both belonged to Harper. The Chiefs fell behind by seven runs in the top of the seventh inning and were unable to make a comeback.

Harper, donning a black ski mask to brave the frigid temperatures, batted fifth and showed immediate maturity at the plate during his first plate appearance. He battled back from a 0-2 count against P.J. Walters before knocking the seventh pitch of the at-bat down the right field line for a double and his first hit at the Triple-A level.

Harper added a one-out single and a stolen base in the fourth inning, but the next two Chiefs batters were sent down in order, stranding him in scoring position.

‘I’m sure he was nervous like everyone else in his first experience in Triple-A, and I thought his first ‘AB’ he battled, they pitched him tough, they pitched him inside,’ Chiefs manager Tony Beasley said. ‘He did a nice job staying in there and competing and got his first double, and then his next AB he got a base hit as well.’

Harper had a chance to spark a rally in the sixth inning, coming to the plate with a runner on first. But Red Wings manager Gene Glynn gave Harper the ultimate sign of respect by signaling to the bullpen to bring in left-handed pitcher Tyler Robertson to face the lefty Harper. Robertson fooled Harper with an off-speed pitch in a 1-2 count, and he went down swinging.

Harper ended the afternoon with the only multi-hit game for the Chiefs, putting together a solid performance in his first action of the season.

Chiefs first basemen Tyler Moore and Harper made the transition together to play with Syracuse in Triple-A this season. Moore, batting cleanup in front of Harper, has faltered early in the season, including a performance where he stranded six runners on base during the Chiefs 3-1 loss to Rochester on Friday.

Moore said he feels partially responsible for not giving Harper enough opportunities with runners on base. Harper has not driven in a run through four games. But Moore expects to get more comfortable at the plate as the season progresses.

The duo’s respect for each other could translate to a formidable one-two punch in the heart of the lineup.

‘It grows every day,’ Moore said. ‘We respect each other and just we’re teammates. We’re going to do whatever it takes to help one another out and that’s about it.’

Harper’s skill sets will likely land him with a starting role with the Nationals in the future. He has saddled with the expectation to be one of the best players in baseball.

But he’s enjoying his time with the Chiefs to begin the 2012 season.

‘It’s a blessing being out there every single day,’ Harper said. ‘I love being out there, and it’s a blessing to be in Triple-A and to be out there with the guys I’m with. I just try to live for today and just play for today and not worry about two weeks or a week or tomorrow.’

adtredin@syr.edu

Published on April 8, 2012 at 12:00 pm