LET THEM PLAY
Bryce Harper ‘would love’ to play in Olympics as MLB superstar urges bosses to make drastic rule change for 2028 season
The 2028 Olympics will be Harper's last chance to play internationally
MLB star Bryce Harper wants to compete in the Olympics before his playing career is over.
Currently, Major League Baseball players cannot compete in Olympic games.
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Harper is pushing for MLB to consider a rule change to allow an Olympic break in the summer similar to how the WNBA and NHL have breaks for the Olympics.
Team USA usually includes minor league players and retired major leaguers.
While in London for MLB's international series, Harper made it known that he wants to make a run with an Olympic team before he retires.
The Summer Olympics are returning to the USA in 2028 in Los Angeles, and baseball will be an official sport after it's first real run this year (it was played in 2020 as a trial).
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“There’s nothing more worldwide than the Olympics,” Harper said in London.
“I watch the most random sports in the Olympics because it’s the Olympics, and that’s really cool. I love hockey.
"It’s one of my favorite sports to watch. To see (the NHL) take that three-week break and let those guys go play, that’s another big goal that we should have as Major League Baseball.
“I’ve talked to numerous people with MLB about it. I would love to be a part of that.
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"We have the (World Baseball Classic), but it’s not the same. It’s not. The Olympics is something that you dream about playing in.”
The current MLB rules state that only amateurs and major leaguers who aren't on a team's 40-man roster can play in the Olympics.
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This means the USA's best baseball players aren't able to represent the country.
The last Summer Olympics had a roster consisting names like Edwin Jackson and Todd Frazier, two former big leaguers who were both past their primes at the time.
Still, despite not having any major leaguers, Team USA still brought home the silver medal.
They fell to Japan in the gold medal game as Japan pauses their league to play in the Olympics.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Kodai Senga were both pitchers on the team before going on to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets respectively.
Five key MLB rule changes in 2024
1. The pitch clock is reduced from 20 to 18 seconds with runners on base. It will remain at 15 seconds with bases empty.
2. When a pitching change is made, the innings timer will reset to 2:00 rather than 2:15 like it did last year.
3. Teams will only be allowed four mound visits per game in 2024, down from five last season.
4. Fielders and defenders blocking bases will be called for obstruction by referees.
5. The runners' lane from home plate to first base has been widened to include the dirt between the grass and the white line.
Harper will be 35 by the time the 2028 Olympics roll around, likely his last chance to play internationally.
He was supposed to play in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, but had to sit out after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
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Team USA lost in the championship game of the tournament to Japan once again in the WBC.
Harper does have some experience in the international game though, playing on Team USA's U-16 team in 2008 and U-18 team in 2009.
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