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This weekend's series against the Washington Nationals has been an interesting opportunity for fans. We've gotten to see a team we don't have much familiarity with, and unfortunately have learned that they're pretty good at baseball. How a healthy, non-Podsednik-starting Red Sox team would do against the Nats is sadly up for speculation, but it's clear that Washington's young franchise is starting to look like a pro squad.
Central to this has been the emergence of two young superstars, 23-year-old pitcher Stephen Strasburg and 19-year-old outfielder Bryce Harper. Marc gave us some background on the two here. It was absolutely astounding watching the two in person the other night. It's one thing to read, or see on TV, that Strasburg throws 100 with a 91 change. It's another to watch it from a hundred feet away and marvel that any hitter is quick enough to catch up to either.
Harper's just impressive. The home run he hit to dead center was such a simple swing, effortless and with astounding power. And that wasn't even his best play. Early on, he wound up robbing Salty of a double by coming halfway into left field on a sharp fly ball. He didn't even look like he was trying to run all-out, but he covered half the outfield quicker than I've seen anyone do it. Just an astonishing talent.
So... Let's play that game Yankee fans always play. Which guy would look better in a Boston uniform? And don't worry about plausible trades (unless you want to try). This is straight-up wishcasting: Boston can pluck one guy from the Nats, would you rather have the OF or the SP? Chat away.