JULY 19TH AUCTION
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 7/20/2013
At the young age of 17, Bryce Harper was one of the most highly touted ballplayers to come along in a generation. MLB’s Number 1 draft pick, the teen-age Harper joined the Washington Nationals Fall Instructional League team and batted .319 and led the team in hits, homers, RBIs and walks. It was a harbinger of the future, for in two short years Harper would be the NL’s Rookie of the Year and baseball’s brightest star. This is the bat he used for his very first at bat, as a pro, in the Instructional league. The two-tone Marucci BH34 bat shows heavy use and is uncracked. The barrel, which is custom imprinted with “Luke 1:37” (“For with God nothing shall be impossible”), shows several ball marks and stitch imprints with ink transfers. Upper handle shows a moderate coat of pine tar. The knob has been stamped with the date “9/20/10”, length “4”, weight “2” and Harper’s number “34”. PSA/DNA sticker number 1B05285 is affixed to the cupped barrel end. Letter of Authenticity from PSA/DNA who have graded this bat a GU 9 and from Harper’s Instructional League teammate Adrian Nieto from whom this bat originated. Photos of Harper using the same Marucci model bat while playing in the Nationals’ instructional league are included.