Bryce Harper reported Tuesday morning that he had successfully inked a deal with the Washington Nationals for almost $10 million on Monday night. The number one overall draft pick out of this year’s 2010 MLB Draft just barely made the midnight deadline on Monday of being signed. Had this midnight deadline not been reached, Harper would have been dismissed and would be eligible to enter into next year’s MLB Draft. Therefore, lucky for the Nationals, they were able to agree on a deal and will have Harper as one of their own.

Harper’s deal is worth just shy of $10 million and is a five-year deal with Washington. Harper was one of the 14 draft picks that waited until the last minute to reach deals with their teams to sign into the MLB. Three of the draft picks in the first round failed to meet the deadline and sign a contract and due to this, these teams will actually get compensation for the selections not signing by receiving extra draft picks in next year’s MLB Draft.

During his first season of college, Harper hit an average of .443 with 31 home runs and 98 runs batted in. The young power-hitter dropped out of high school before his junior year so that he could obtain his GED and enter junior college so that he could become eligible for the 2010 MLB Draft. He had a lot to lose if he didn’t reach a deal with the Nationals as did the Nationals so it’s a win-win situation on both sides!

17-year-old Harper, drafted out of College of Southern Nevada, played as a catcher; however, the Nationals have something else in mind for the number 1 draft pick. Washington plans to convert Harper into an outfielder rather than a catcher. He has a lot of promise and he’ll find himself in the Majors much sooner as an outfielder than a catcher more than likely.

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