Bryce Harper acknowledged on Sunday that he idolized Barry Bonds growing up and called him the greatest hitter on the planet.
Harper's Washington Nationals took on the Miami Marlins, who hired Bonds as their hitting coach this offseason, over the weekend.
In 2015, Harper became the youngest player (22) in Major League history to hit 42 home runs and draw 124 walks. He did so without much protection in the lineup.
"When you are good, you are good. You don't need anyone behind you," Bonds said about Harper. "Bryce doesn't need any one hitting behind him. If he wants to be impatient and swing at everything, it's going to make it worse on him. But he is patient. He is a great hitter who doesn't need anyone behind him."
Bonds then called Harper "a beast," but cautioned about longevity.
"He doesn't compare to me yet. He has a long way to go [in order to be compared] to me. He is not even close to me," Bonds said. "But he is one [heck] of a ballplayer. I watch him, I admire and I look at him and I'm in awe. You don't see it that often. For my eyes to get real big and go, 'Wow,' you have to be something special. ... It's longevity that [I have to be] over-wowed about. Short-term don't do much for me. Longevity is where it's going to be. When I see these guys -- seven, eight, 10, 12 years down the road still doing what they are doing, then you will hear the real 'wow.' Right now, I'm impressed."