Tutorials » Floridas Savannah Jordan for the most among SEC players.K

Youve heard of counting your chickens before they hatch? Well, putting Bryce Harper anywhere near the top 100 -- let alone at No. 85 -- is counting your chickens before the eggs are even laid.Look, I get it. Harpers potential is huge. His ceiling is higher than the one in Yao Mings bedroom. Last year, as a 22-year old, Harper put up one of the greatest offensive seasons for a player his age. Im not going to regurgitate the numbers for you here because by now youve heard them plenty and seen them plenty. Suffice it to say, when you become the youngest unanimous MVP in the history of baseball, youve done OK.But just because a guy has one good year at the office (OK, one really, really good year) doesnt mean hes going to keep doing it over and over again. Sure, if you look at the roster of players who won MVPs at a young age, youll see lots of legendary names -- guys like Johnny Bench, Stan Musial, Cal Ripken, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron. As youd expect, every one of those greats cracked the top 100, and with plenty of breathing room. But that same list of precocious players also contains names such as Don Mattingly and Fred Lynn, both very good players in their own right, but neither of whom even sniffed our rankings because their flames didnt burn eternal -- they werent good enough for long enough.I know what youre thinking (and by you, I mean our top-100 polling posse): Mattingly and Lynn werent blue-chip prospects like Harper. Donnie Baseball was a 19th-rounder. And although Lynn was a second-rounder, its still not the same thing as being the top overall pick, which Harper was in 2010. Combine the prime pedigree with the historic 2015 season, and presto, youve got a legend in the making. Or so it seemed.(Sound of needle scratching on record.)In case you havent noticed, the legend of Harper isnt going according to plan in 2016. Oh, he started the season well enough in defense of his MVP crown. Sure, you could argue that he didnt deserve to be named National League Player of the Month for April (see: Arenado, Nolan). But you cant argue that Harper -- with his 9 home runs, 24 RBIs and 1.120 OPS during that first month -- didnt come out of the gate mashing. But that was then, and this is now.Since April 27, Harper is hitting just .231 with a .378 slugging percentage. His average ranks 149th out of 159 qualified major leaguers over that time, and his slugging ranks 130th. Even when Harper isnt getting hits, his prolific plate discipline -- he set a franchise record with 124 walks last season and walked 45 times in his first 39 games this year -- has a huge impact on the game. But since May 19, he has drawn a relatively human 27 free passes in 50 games. During that time, his .347 on-base percentage puts him firmly in the middle of the pack (38th out of 82 NL players).On one hand, maybe its just a slump. A really extended, nearly half-season slump thats about to end. Maybe Harpers on the verge of busting out and going on a tear that will have his average north of .300 come October, and well all look back and say, See, we knew it was just a matter of time.On the other hand, maybe what were seeing this year is the real Bryce Harper. Maybe the .270-something that he hit in each of his first three seasons is more like the rule, and last years video game numbers were the exception. If thats the case, then the slash line were seeing offensively from Harper in 2016 (.252/.394/.477) is roughly equivalent to what we can expect in the years to come. For the record, its also roughly equivalent to what?Joey Votto?is doing this season. And with all due respect to Votto -- who, like Harper, is a former MVP -- his name doesnt appear anywhere on our top-100 list.Just because Harper put up one monster year doesnt mean we should automatically grant him the keys to the kingdom. Slow your roll. Let him do it a few more times before we exalt him to top 100 in the history of a sport that has been in existence for nearly two centuries status.After all, hes still only 23 years old -- well within the parameters of whats known in the poultry biz as a spring chicken. Its way too early to start counting him. Deandre Ayton Jersey . In Europe, top teams seem to be largely happy with their squads after spending nearly $1 billion in the off-season. And although English league clubs are unlikely to splash cash in January, Arsenal and Chelsea could be tempted to strengthen their squads with new strikers. Jason Kidd Suns Jersey . Capitals head coach Adam Oates said Ovechkin was injured in the first period against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday and clarified it was not a head injury. https://www.thesunslockerroom.com/Customized/ . The news was first reported on Gonzalezs Twitter account and confirmed by the Rockies. Gonzalez has a six-week window before position players have their first workout at spring training in Arizona. Marquese Chriss Suns Jersey .com) - Yankee Stadium is the home of the Bronx Bombers, but on Sunday afternoon it will open its gates to host the latest addition of the Hudson River Rivalry. Kevin Johnson Jersey . LOUIS -- Mike Smith is used to facing plenty of shots, so this was nothing new. KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - South Carolina womens soccer captured the SEC Regular-Season title after topping Tennessee 2-0 at Regal Soccer Stadium Sunday behind a pair of second-half goals from junior forward Savannah McCaskill. With the victory, the No. 2 Gamecocks (16-0-1, 10-0-0 SEC) pushed their school-record winning streak to 16 matches and remained unbeaten on the season. The Volunteers fell to 10-7-1 overall and 5-4-1 in league play with the loss. After securing a share of the championship, Carolina claimed the outright title following No. 11 Auburns loss to Texas A&M Sunday night.The win over Tennessee gave the Gamecocks the programs third SEC Championship and first since 2011. Carolina won the SEC Tournament in 2009 before claiming the leagues 2011 regular-season title. The Gamecocks have won all 10 of its SEC matches this season, outscoring opponents 20-3 in conference play.Carolinas goal in the 48th minute was set up by two great passes in the attacking third. Senior midfielder Chelsea Drennan created the scoring chance, slipping a pass to junior defender Anna Conklin near the left side of the box. Conklin quickly gathered the ball and sent in a cross that connected with McCaskill, who headed home the goal to put the Gamecocks in front 1-0.Another series of nice passes pushed the advantage to two and gave McCaskill her second goal of the match in the 63rd minute. Junior midfielder Dominique Babbitts pass hit forward Sophie Groff in stride, and the senior located McCaskill in the box with just the keeper to beat. McCaskill took one dribble before calmly depositing the ball into the net past Tennessee goalkeeper Jamie Simmons to make it 2-0.McCaskill nearly notched her second hat trick of the season after Drennan fed her on the break in the 76th minute. The forward received the pass and raced into the box before firing a blistering shot that required a diving save from Simmons. The Chapin, S.C., native finished the match with six shots and three attempts on frame.Both of South Carolinas quality scoring chances in the first half came in the opening 20 minutes, with each play involving McCaskill and Groff. In the fourth minute, Groff found a streaking McCaskill on the counter attack, and the junior charged towards net before a sliding tackle from a Tennessee defender cleared the ball away. Thirteen minutes laater, McCaskill sent in a cross from the right side that found Groff inside the box.dddddddddddd Groff made a couple of nice moves to free herself from multiple defenders and fired a close-range shot that missed just right.South Carolina boasted a 14-7 shot advantage for the match and finished the contest with three corners. Gamecock freshman goalkeeper Mikayla Krzeczowski collected four saves to tally her eighth shutout of the season and move to 13-0-1. Carolinas win marked its fourth-straight road victory over Tennessee.QUOTABLEWere so excited to be in this position and still be in control of winning the championship outright. We want to finish the season off with a bang and a win on Thursday. The team has battled all season, and theyre deserving of this for sure. They have found ways to win against difficult opponents, and they deserve this championship.- South Carolina womens soccer coach Shelley SmithGAMECHANGERForward Savannah McCaskills second goal of the match in the 63rd minute put South Carolina in firm control. The juniors 13 goals in 2016 are tied with Floridas Savannah Jordan for the most among SEC players.KEY STATAfter allowing three shots on goal in the first half, the Gamecock defense clamped down and held the Volunteers to just one attempt on frame over the final 45 minutes.NOTABLESouth Carolinas 10 wins and 30 points in SEC play this season are both program records. The victory over the Volunteers gives the Gamecocks a school-record six-straight road wins. Carolina will enter its final match of the regular season against Ole Miss (Oct. 27) as the only unbeaten team in Division I. Bucknell, which began this week with a mark of 13-0-1, suffered its first loss of the season on Saturday. Junior forward Savannah McCaskills performance Sunday marked her fourth multi-goal match of the season. It was the seventh time in her career she totaled at least two goals in a game. UP NEXTSouth Carolina rounds out the regular season on Thur., Oct. 27, when it plays host to Ole Miss at Stone Stadium. It will be Senior Night for the Gamecocks, who will honor nine players prior to the contest against the Rebels. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET, and the match will air on SEC Network.? ' ' '