The Harrisburg Alumni Association

Before they become Harrisburg Senators, third baseman Jeff King and outfielder Bryce Harper have the distinction of being the No. 1 overall selection in a pair of baseball’s amateur drafts that occur on June 7.

King is selected 40 years ago today by the Pittsburgh Pirates and Harper 16 years ago today by the Washington Nationals.

King ends up with a fine, 11-year career in the major leagues, where he puts together a .256 career batting average in 1,201 games for the Pirates and Kansas City Royals.

Harper now is in the 15th season of a likely Hall of Fame career that starts in 2012 in Washington and continues today in Philadelphia.

His resume entering the 2026 season includes 363 home runs in 1,785 games with 1,051 runs batted in, eight All-Star Game selections, a Rookie of the Year award in 2012, and two Most Valuable Player Awards in 2015 and 2021.

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