This story was excerpted from Todd Zolecki’s Phillies Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Bryce Harper made every pick and play look easy Wednesday morning at Oracle Park in San Francisco.

Phillies infield coach Bobby Dickerson walked diligently around the infield with his fungo bat and smashed baseballs toward Harper at first base, replicating throws he might need to scoop off the dirt in the not-so-distant future.

It was only practice, but Harper caught every one.

“I’m no dummy,” Dickerson said afterward. “It’s 12 o’clock, controlled environment, he’s not throwing to bases yet. But his hop-reading right now, his calmness, just everything he’s doing right now is really, really, really advanced. He’s not getting in between hops. One thing is that he’s a little hard on himself. When he feels a little weird catching a ball, I can see his body language. He gets mad at himself. He’s such a perfectionist. That’s why he’s a superstar.”

Harper rejoined the Phillies on May 2 following Tommy John surgery in November. He volunteered to learn first base to accelerate his return.

Harper recently started playing catch from 90 feet. It will take time before he throws from 120.

Keep an eye on when Harper reaches 120. Phillies manager Rob Thomson said last week in Denver he would like to see Harper make good throws on a line from 120 feet before he is cleared to play first base. Of course, Thomson said others might want to see him throw from 150 feet before he is cleared. But for Thomson, 120 is fine.

Thomson said Friday that Harper is probably “at least” a month away from that, but would anybody be surprised if he is back earlier? Nobody expected him to rejoin the Phillies on May 2, but he did.

So, what do the Phillies expect from Harper, if he plays first? Is it simply for him to play there, so they can return Alec Bohm to third and possibly slide Kyle Schwarber into the DH role? In that scenario, perhaps Brandon Marsh or Cristian Pache (once he returns from a meniscectomy on his right knee) moves to left.

Or do they think Harper can be better than a replacement-level defender?

“This is stepping out there,” Dickerson said, “but I think he can win a Gold Glove. That’s how athletic the guy is. Now, is he going to present that when he first goes out there? Is there going to be a ball that goes through his legs? Yeah. That’s going to happen. Is he going to clank a ball here and there? Is he going to make a wrong decision on a hop in the ninth inning with the bases loaded and the game on the line? Possibly. But he doesn’t want to be embarrassed.

"The great ones are going to do their job and work at it. As he continues to grow at the position, the way he focuses, the way he works, the way he’s diligent -- he really wants to do this -- the sky’s the limit.”