Watch: Bryce Harper plays softball on D.C. Mall

(CBS News) It would be an understatement to say that Washington Nationals hitting sensation Bryce Harper rubbed some people the wrong way in the minor leagues. (Blowing a kiss to a pitcher after taking him deep will do that.)

But now the rookie phenom is in the big leagues (at least temporarily) and he's doing a pretty nice job of repairing his image. During his debut at Dodger Stadium, he seemed genuinely humble and awed. And now back in D.C., he made a cameo appearance at a softball game on the National Mall.

Per the Washington Post, Harper and a guy with a video camera walked up to a game Monday between two nonprofit powerhouses: the World Wildlife Fund Fighting Pandas and the Alliance to Save Energy Killer Watts. Harper was invited to take a swing for the Killer Watts and, as you can see in the video above, he whiffed at a pitch before lofting one to right field.

Harper makes his home debut tonight not far from the Washington Monument fields as the Nationals host the Diamondbacks. So far, the 19-year-old is 2 for 6 with one RBI in the big leagues after two games.