{"product_id":"9781250034427","title":"Phenom: The Making of Bryce Harper","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"The remarkable story of Bryce Harper's unforgettable ride from Morse Stadium to the top of the baseball draft\" (Jayson Stark, ESPN.com) updated from the hardcover edition (\u003ci\u003eThe Last Natural) \u003c\/i\u003eto include his Rookie of the Year season!\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBefore he famously became a Major League All-Star as a teenager, Harper already had dominated high school competition like Mickey Mantle on the playground and appeared on the cover of \u003ci\u003eSports Illustrated\u003c\/i\u003e, which dubbed him the \"most exciting prodigy since LeBron James.\" Seeking greater tests as a hitter, the precocious star got his GED after his sophomore year and enrolled at the College of Southern Nevada, where he would face future pro pitchers in a difficult wooden-bat league. Sportswriter Rob Miech was \"embedded\" with the team—in the dugout and locker room and on team buses and in motel rooms—to provide a warts-and-all account of a boy among men playing like a man among boys. Amid fascinating personal stories including the dynamics between a veteran coach and Harper's overprotective father, the jealousies of teammates and opponents, and the sudden descent of press armies on a tiny college field, the author chronicles a season-long experiment that culminates in Harper leading the Coyotes to the Junior College World Series and signing a $9.9 million contract negotiated by notorious agent Scott Boras. Sporting a fresh cover and a bonus chapter that covers Harper's award-winning rookie season with the Washington Nationals, this expanded edition of \u003ci\u003ePhenom\u003c\/i\u003e (originally published as \u003ci\u003eThe Last Natural\u003c\/i\u003e) gives fans an all-access pass to baseball's newest rising star.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"St. Martin's Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47082781540592,"sku":"9781250034427","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781250034427_p0.jpg?v=1769891491","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781250034427","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}