Childhood

His moonshots have echoed across the land, foreordaining his long-awaited arrival, and now the hour is nigh. Yes, the debut of Rangers super-prospect Joey Gallo is upon us, and to sate the appetites of a dinger-deprived nation, behold -- photographic evidence that Gallo and fellow mashing - Las Vegan Bryce Harper were once members of the same Little League team.

Bryce Harper is bigger than the NBA Finals this week. He's bigger than the Stanley Cup. Bryce Harper shows off his smooth lefty swing.

When it comes to this year's top prospect, most baseball scouts insist they have seen no player this good this soon.

In his first playing day after being celebrated on the cover of Sports Illustrated as The Next Big Thing in baseball, Bryce Harper, all of 16 years old and a high school sophomore at Las Vegas High School, drew a standing-room only crowd of 800 people to an amateur game in Oklahoma (at $5 a pop, he pretty much funded the host school's program right there), attracted a media horde that included six radio and television stations and a crew from an ESPN show, E:60, and signed autographs for more than 40 minutes.

Bryce Harper -- his play, his attitude, his hair! -- is on a mission to change baseball forever.

The Tampa Bay Rays had yet to begin their 2009 season, but Tropicana Field was already abuzz in January thanks to the International Power Showcase High School Home Run Derby.

One of the first stars routinely flown around the country by travelbaseball teams was Bryce Harper, the first overall pick in the 2011 Major League draft, and now an All-Star outfielder for the Washington Nationals. As a youngster, Harper played for travel ball teams from California, Arizona, Oklahoma and Nevada.

Fans of the Washington Nationals and Major League Baseball can't help but talk about outfielder Bryce Harper. After his selection as the number 1 pick in the 2010 MLB Draft by the Nationals followed by his Debut for the 2012 season his popularity has just exploded as he is putting together some of the most impressive stats for any young player in Major League Baseball history.

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HENDERSON, Nev. -- The Wonder Kid strides into the left batter's box without a helmet, without a cap, without a care.