Bryce Harper

Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com was told by a Nationals’ person that it’s “95 percent” likely that Bryce Harper will make the team’s Opening Day roster.

Bill Ladson of MLB.com relayed similar information Monday. Harper, 19, could break camp with the team if he plays exceptionally well during spring training, but we would be shocked if the Nationals began his arbitration clock that quickly. The most likely scenario is that he see him sometime in late-June. If and when he does earn a promotion to the majors, Jayson Werth could see some playing time in center field.

William Ladson of MLB.com reports that the Nationals have not ruled out the possibility of Bryce Harper starting the 2012 season as the team’s right fielder.

It’s probably still a long shot, though, given that Harper just turned 19 in October and wasn’t terribly successful in his 37-game stint at Double-A Harrisburg last year following a promotion from Low-A. He could also reach Super Two status if he starts the year with the major league club. Harper is likely to make an impact in 2012, but it probably won’t come until later in the year.

Mark Zuckerman of CSNWashington.com speculates that MLB’s new CBA agreement could have an impact on the Nationals’ plans for top prospect Bryce Harper.

Players typically become arbitration-eligible after three years of service time, but a small percentage — known as a Super Twos — qualify if they come close to three years. One of the many changes in the new CBA is that the number of those qualifying players each year will increase from 17 to 22 percent. While teams were previously safe if they promoted top prospects to the majors in late-May or early-June, it’s possible that the new rules could cause teams to wait several more weeks.

Bryce Harper finished the Arizona Fall League season with a 1.084 OPS, ranking among the league’s top-10.

Nationals prospect outfielder Bryce Harper has an 11-game hitting streak in the Arizona Fall League.

Yeah, he’s pretty good. Harper went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer on Tuesday and has five consecutive multi-RBI games. After getting off to a slow start in the AFL, the 19-year-old hitting sensation has five homers an 17 RBI over his last eight games. He is scheduled to play in this weekend’s Rising Stars Game.