WATCH: You won't believe how far this softball player hit a ball at the Trop
His name is Ryan Harvey, he's a former Cubs draftee, and he knocked the living snot out of the ball
By
Dayn Perry
•
1 min read
Heard of Ryan Harvey? The Cubs made him the sixth-overall pick of the 2003 MLB draft, and he showed up on some top-100 prospect lists along the way. Across parts of eight minor-league seasons and two indy-league campaigns, the 6-foot-5 Harvey slugged .472 and tallied 174 homers. He never made the bigs, but he showed a lot of power in his day.
Speaking of Harvey's power, the now 31-year-old was recently in Tropicana Field for something called the "Long Haul Bombers Stadium Power Tour." As you're about to see, Harvey very much belongs on such a tour. Why does your scribe say this? Your scribe says this because he knocked the snot and/or will to live out of a pitched orb.
Witness the power following briskly thereupon by the glory:
Gasp! Let's admire that from a different angle:
Additional gasp! And the people say, "Larduhmighty."
It so happens that back in 2003 the then-Devil Rays owned the top overall pick and gave Harvey serious consideration (they wound up taking Delmon Young). Harvey even showed up at the Trop to take some hacks for the D-Rays. Here's Tom Jones in a 2003 piece for the Tampa Bay Times ...
Good thing there's a net hanging beyond the centerfield wall at Tropicana Field in front of the Batter's Eye restaurant. Otherwise Dunedin High outfielder Ryan Harvey would've broken a few windows Thursday.
Harvey, one of the top prospects in Tuesday's baseball draft, put on an impressive power display in a workout with the Devil Rays, who own the top pick. He clubbed nearly a dozen homers, including five to dead center, well over the 404-foot marker.
"I haven't seen that here ... ever," Rays manager Lou Piniella said. "Pretty impressive."
Sure, Harvey's using a bat not available for use in the majors, but that's an impressive blast in any context.
People, know this: The ledger of players to hit an American Flag 500-plus feet away with a ball off the bat is short and quite possibly includes only the name Ryan Harvey.
