Turning Pro While Still In High School

So what were you doing when you were 16 years old? Most of us were attending high school, working on getting our driver licenses, doing chores around the house, and trying to figure our way into the future. Athletically, I was a decent tennis player, played for my high school team and I was ranked in the Intermountain region for my age group. I dreamed of playing at Wimbledon on Centre Court and hanging out with Chris Evert, but I certainly did not have sponsors and agents sending me letters offering lucrative deals, nor was I on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

But that is exactly what is happening to 16 year old Las Vegas baseball phenom Bryce Harper. He has been named "The Chosen One" on the cover of the most recent copy of Sports Illustrated. He is predicted to be the top pick in the 2010 MLB draft. He has made the decision to drop out of high school, get his GED and enroll at College of Southern Nevada (CSN) in order to be eligible for the draft.

At 6'3 and weighing 205 pounds Bryce is considered in baseball to be as great as the next Kobe Bryant or LeBron James of the basketball world. In 2009, he played catcher with a batting average of .626 along with 14 home runs and 55 RBIs. Think of the amount of pressure this 16 year old must be experiencing, he either flops royally or becomes a huge success and makes as much money as possible before something can happen to hurt his chances.

The reason Bryce chose to leave high school early is due to the requirement to be eligible for Major League Baseball draft. Harper will turn 17 on October 16, 2009, by finishing high school he will be eligible for the 2010 draft. So the question becomes, is Harper too young? Well Angel Villalona of the Domincan Republic signed as a 16 year old with the San Jose Giants for 2.1 million and three years later now plays for the Oakland A's for 4.25 million. Let's hope Bryce made the right decision, it just might be the way of the future. Let's us know what you think, did Harper make the right decision?

(Photo: Sports Illustrated)

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J.D. Jones has worked as a sports editor and coached high school boy's and girls tennis teams. Besides tennis, he is an avid college and pro football and basketball fan - GO UTES!

Unless otherwise stated, no particular sexual orientation of anyone depicted is implied or should be presumed.