His family had been hinting at it for quite some time, but now it’s pretty much official: Prep baseball phenom Bryce Harper will skip his final two years of high school with the intention of possibly entering the next MLB draft. Hmm: Perhaps he hasn’t seen the Major League standings lately.

Why such a rush to be chosen by the Washington Nationals? Perhaps it was coercion. Anyhow, baseball’s LeBron James, as he was dubbed by SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, has registered at the College of Southern Nevada, planning to attend there in the fall and play baseball next spring. His father, Ron Harper, said that he would enter the draft in 2010 or 2011.

From USA TODAY:

“People question your parenting and what you’re doing. Honestly, we don’t think it’s that big a deal,” Ron Harper said. “He’s not leaving school to go work in a fast food restaurant. Bryce is a good kid. He’s smart and he’s going to get his education.”

Think of all he’ll miss: The Junior Prom. Building the senior class homecoming float. Clobbering pitchers who aren’t going to challenge him to get any better. Um, anything I’m overlooking? No, the real concern here isn’t that the Las Vegas high school catcher is leaving high school early; it’s the weight of expectations that are being dropped on him, which are bordering on the obscene. Clint Hurdle can tell you about that.

And that distinct whiff of sulfur in the air is due to the fact that the Harpers are being advised by Scott Boras, who may be trying to angle for the Stephen Strasburg-Bryce Harper Washington Nationals Daily Double. If Harper goes at No. 1, and the Nationals don’t trade the pick.

Sorry, Nationals fans. Your team is going to prove me wrong and go on a 30-game winning streak. I just know it.