How Hunter Bishop's effort reminds Giants' Gabe Kapler of Bryce Harper

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Hustle and hard work often are the quickest ways to win over a baseball manager, and Giants skipper Gabe Kapler is no exception.

Kapler identified top outfield prospect Hunter Bishop as one of the players who stood out to him in spring training because of his effort, even invoking Bryce Harper's name when describing Bishop's playing style in a March interview with KNBR's "Tolbert, Krueger & Brooks."

Bishop, the Giants' No. 4 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, played in just six spring-training games, but he clearly made an impression on Kapler, who again brought up Harper when discussing Bishop on Thursday's episode of "Shelter on Base."

"He really busts it out of the batter's box," Kapler said. "Kind of plays like his hair is on fire. And not necessarily that he is this level yet, but he reminds me in some ways of Bryce Harper. The violence of the swing, the way he plays. Not the performance. That comes with time, and Bryce has been doing it for seven years-plus and had all sorts of success. But Hunter has some interesting characteristics that remind me of Bryce."

Bishop, the No. 10 overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, batted just .229 in two levels of the minor leagues during his first professional season, but he also stole eight bases in 32 games and posted a .438 on-base percentage. He drew 38 walks in 146 plate appearances, demonstrating patience at the plate that the organization has made a point of emphasis since president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi took over in 2018.

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As Kapler alluded, Bishop isn't at Harper's level, let alone where the Philadelphia Phillies star was as a prospect. Harper started playing full-time in the majors during his age-19 season, whereas the 21-year-old Bishop hasn't even played a Double-A game yet.

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Kapler's last season in Philly coincided with Harper's first, so the superstar's performance would've been fresh in his mind during spring training. Bishop has a long way to go toward coming close to -- let alone replicating -- Harper's success, but he definitely has an admirer in his future big league boss.

[GIANTS INSIDER PODCAST: Listen to the latest episode]

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