Did Bryce Harper go to Junior College before making it to the Majors?

Bryce Harper is one of the rare baseball prospects who has lived up to the hype. When he first entered the league in 2012, he debuted alongside Mike Trout, who many consider to be the best baseball player in this generation.

As a result, he often got compared to Trout. There were lofty expectations placed on him and he arguably exceeded them. He's a two-time MVP and made it to the World Series.

But what did his career look like before coming up with the Washington Nationals? There are a few common ways to enter the MLB: either enter the draft straight out of high school, do it after college or via the international pool.

Harper didn't do any of those. The slugger attended junior college instead. It's rare for an athlete, especially one of his caliber, to not have attended a top college for his sport.

It's even rarer for them to not have skipped school entirely. The Philadelphia Phillies outfielder attended College of Southern Nevada, which is not somewhere a future MVP would expect to be found.

Washington Nationals v Colorado Rockies

The two-time MVP also dropped out of high school before attending the junior college, so he had a very unorthodox schooling. Obviously, it didn't hurt his baseball prospects.

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How long will Bryce Harper play baseball?

The star outfielder has been in the league for 11 seasons, with all but the last four coming with the Washington Nationals. That's already a lengthy career, but it's not over yet.

His mega contract with the Philadelphia Phillies runs through the 2031 season. It's certainly possible he retires before then, but it's not all that likely. He would then have played for two entire decades.

He'd be 38 that season, which isn't necessarily retirement age. Many MLB players from this past season, including Yadier Molina, Albert Pujols and Justin Verlander, played past that age.

It's totally possible that if health is in his favor, Harper will make it to 25 years in the MLB. It's a long shot, but his career is going to be very long either way. It already has been.