America was first introduced to Bryce Harper when he was just 16 years old, thanks to a Sports Illustrated cover story that proclaimed the teen as “Baseball’s Chosen One.” The article, written by SI’s Tom Verducci, chronicled Harper’s seemingly mythical feats: Hitting a 570-foot home run as a high school freshman. Crushing a homer off the back wall of Tropicana Stadium. Boldly stating he wanted to be the greatest player of all-time. It created a hype around the teenager that seemed impossible to live up to. And yet, Harper has done just that. And now the two-time MVP is about to step up to the plate for his first World Series appearance, after propelling the Philadelphia Phillies through the NLCS with a game-winning homer this past Sunday. Tom Verducci was there at Citizen’s Bank Park to witness Harper’s heroics in the NLCS, 13 years after he first covered him as a 16-year-old high school phenom. He tells us what it's been like to chronicle “Baseball’s Chosen One” since the very start.

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