Ben Goessling of Masnsports.com writes that the Nationals will likely take 17-year-old catcher Bryce Harper with the first pick June’s draft.

Barring an injury or a drastic change, the Nationals will likely take 17-year-old catcher Bryce Harper with the first pick in the June Draft. According to a source familiar with the situation, they see Harper as being head and shoulders above anyone else in the 2010 draft class and believe he could reach the majors within 2 1/2 years.

Harper, who has been called “the LeBron James of baseball,” completed his GED in December 2009 so he could play junior-college baseball and be eligible for the 2010 draft, rather than finish high school. He is currently playing at the College of Southern Nevada, where he is batting .422 with a .516 on-base percentage, .891 slugging percentage, 15 homers and 42 RBI in 39 games.

The Nationals are pleased with Harper’s arrangement, as it makes him easier to scout than he would be if he was in high school. He is already playing with a wood bat, and the junior-college level of competition is higher than what he’d face in high school. What’s more, Harper is getting pitched to at Southern Nevada, where most high school teams would pitch around him.

Most of the talk surrounding Harper is whether or not he made the right decision to skip the final two years of high school in order to take classes and play at College of Southern Nevada. There’s already a ton of pressure being heaved onto his shoulders and considering he’s so young, no one can predict whether or not he can handle all of the expectations.

That said, Harper is a phenomenal talent. His primary position is catcher, but he has also been clocked throwing 96 mph as a pitcher. He’s best known for hitting a 502-foot home run during the 2009 International Power Showcase at Tropicana Field. The blast is currently on record for being the longest home run in that stadium.

The nice thing about MLB is that whether or not he’s taken with the first overall pick, Harper will have to produce in the minors before he “arrives” at the major league level. Given how young he is, he can take his time developing before he goes the rout of Albert Pujols or Alex Rodriguez, two players that were on the fast track to playing professional ball.

Photo from fOTOGLIF