What Say You? Bryce Harper or Mike Trout?

One thing that has remained constant in an ever-changing game is that raw, young talent is exciting to watch.  Whether is was Ken Griffey, Jr. making splash in the late 1980s or Mickey Mantle in the early 1950s, people get really excited when a potential, young superstar arrives on the scene.  It seems to rejuvenate the oldest of players and ignites a passion within the fan base. 

When Ken Griffey, Jr. arrived in the major leagues in 1989 with the Seattle Mariners, he was destined for greatness.  He had a pedigree, (Ken Griffey, Sr. was beginning his 17th major league season that year), the five tools, and plenty of buzz.  His first season, at the age of 19, Junior Griffey had solid numbers (16 HR, 61 RBI, .264 AVG, .769 OPS) at a time when most professional baseball players his age were toiling through the low minor leagues.  Griffey went on to finish his career with Hall of Fame numbers (630 HR, 1836 RBI, .284 AVG, .907 OPS), made even more impressive by the absence of his name in all steroid discussions. 

Perhaps the most iconic teenage sensation to make a splash was Mickey Mantle.  Mantle was the heir apparent to one of the greatest Yankees legends of all time, Joe DiMaggio, and he was quickly embraced by the New York fans.  Mantle was a country bumpkin from Oklahoma who somehow managed to fit into the lifestyle of the Big Apple.  During his rookie campaign, also at the age of 19, Mantle established himself as a force to be reckoned with for years to come (13 HR, 65 RBI, .267 AVG, .792 OPS).  Mantle played for 18 seasons with the Yankees (536 HR, 1509 RBI, .298 AVG, .938 OPS), winning seven championships, and is regarded as one of the greatest players to ever play the game.

Probably the least known teenage sensation was a man whose career, and life, was severely impacted by a beanball.  But the season he had at the age of 19 is still talked about in Boston 48 years later. In 1964, 19 year-old Tony Conigliaro, a native of the Boston area, made his debut with the beloved Red Sox.  His rookie season was nothing short of amazing (24 HR, 52 RBI, .290 AVG, .884 OPS), giving Red Sox Nation a reason to believe that the Curse of the Bambino was going to be short-lived.  All that changed on a late summer day in 1967 when Conigliaro took a pitch to the face from Jack Hamilton.  He was not able to come back until the 1969 season but a few years later, complications of the injury forced him out of the game again.  He attempted another comeback in 1975 but quickly found out that he was no longer able to play the game.  Conigliaro died in 1990 at the age of 45, and his career remains one of the great “What could have been” careers of all time. 

While there have been several others who have made their debuts in the twilight of their teens, let's focus on a couple who have done so within the past couple seasons.  In 2011, a young can’t miss outfielder got a cup of coffee with the Los Angeles Angels at the age of 19.  And in 2012, another highly touted, much anticipated teenager debuted with the Washington Nationals.  Each player has provided a boost to his respective franchise and has propelled both into pennant races in September.  With out further ado, I present the case of Bryce Harper vs. Mike Trout. 

Bryce Harper

Bryce Harper has been making waves in baseball from the time he became a high school dropout at the age of 16.  At first, that sounds astonishing, even appalling.  But when you look at it more closely, it makes sense.  Harper’s parents allowed him to dropout of high school because other schools were not pitching to him and he was not getting any better.  Harper got his GED and immediately enrolled at the College of Southern Nevada, a junior college.  After an unbelievable year in college (66 games played, 31 HR, 98 RBI, 1.430 OPS), Harper was drafted by the Washington Nationals with the first pick of the 2010 amateur draft.  He rocketed through the minor leagues and in late April 2012, the brash, young phenom made his major league debut.  While he has experienced several ups and downs, the young man has largely played the game the right way and has played a large role in the emergence of the Nationals as a championship contender.  Here is a quick glance at his rookie season:

GP    AB  R   HR RBI  AVG  OBP  SLG  OPS  SB/ATT 

112  434  75  15   45    .256     ..325   .433  .758  13/18

Mike Trout

Mike Trout was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels with the 25^th pick of the first round of the 2009 draft.  Trout hails from New Jersey, a place not really known for developing superstar players because of the winter weather.  In his senior season of playing high school ball (played at the age of 17 due to the way his birthday falls), Trout hit a New Jersey single-season record of 18 homeruns.  Once drafted, Trout also rocketed through the minor leagues until he made his major league debut on July 8, 2011 at the age of 19.  He struggled in the 40 games he played at the big-league level (5 HR, 15 RBI, 4 SB, .220 AVG).  Since being called up in late April of 2012 (coincidentally on the same day as Harper?), he has shown what he is capable of doing.  The Angels record since Trout was called up is 67-49 and Trout has a chance to lead the league in hitting, stolen bases, win a gold glove and do something that has only been done twice in the history of the game; win the Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season (Fred Lynn in 1975, Ichiro Suzuki in 2001).  Trout’s arrival took the spotlight off of new addition Albert Pujols who struggled through the first month of the season.  Here is a look at Trout’s rookie campaign thus far:

GP    AB   R   HR  RBI  AVG  OBP  SLG  OPS  SB/ATT 

113  463  108   25  75    .333     .396   .568  .964    43/47

Verdict

Both guys have an unbelievable upside and should provide much excitement for baseball fans over the next two decades.  While Trout is having a rookie season for the ages, he is a year older than Harper and as history shows us, at least with Griffey, Jr., Mantle, and Conigliaro, a player will make strides from the age of 19 to 20.  Trout has already taken those strides this season and it shows in his numbers.  With all that being said, I would have to choose Trout as the guy I would go with.  The decision really comes down to a couple of simple things, in my mind.  One, Trout has proven to be a masterful defensive centerfielder.  He has already accumulated quite the highlight reel of catches where he crashes into walls, robbing homers from unsuspecting sluggers.  Harper, on the other hand, is still learning how to play all of the outfield positions because it is not his natural position (he was a catcher in college).  At times, he looks lost while trying to make routine catches, a skill a man with his talent will master soon enough.  Second, much like the case of Kimbrel vs. Chapman, Trout seems to be much farther along the maturity scale than Harper.  While no one can question his aggressiveness and how hard he plays the game, his immaturity has already come back to bite him a few times this season (once by breaking a bat against the dugout wall and having it snap back and gash his face around the eye and another time by slamming a helmet onto the field of play after not getting a hit and resulting in an ejection).  His immaturity also showed in the National Junior College World Series when he was ejected in a game resulting in a suspension and his team being eliminated in the next game as he sat on the bench watching.  Now you have heard what I have to say, so, what say you, folks?  Harper or Trout?

*This is the second in a series of What Say You? comparisons over the next few weeks.  Coming soon, look for the Chris Sale or Stephen Strasburg? comparison.

From Moon Shot to Moonshots

A few minutes before 11:00 PM on July 20, 1969, the world that we live in was forever changed.  No longer could one say that man had never walked on the moon.  Neil Armstrong, a 38 year-old astronaut from Ohio, greeted his nation from the lunar surface by saying, “That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."  This accomplishment is one of the greatest achievements in world history and it held particular political significance during the Cold War.  As the U.S. was seemingly losing ground to the U.S.S.R. in the space race, President John F. Kennedy made the declaration in May of 1961 that America would put a man on the moon before the end of the decade.  Mission accomplished!

Being a history buff, especially regarding the space program, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the passing of Neil Armstrong, a great American hero, over the weekend.  His accomplishment, along with those of Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins (who were also on the Apollo 11 mission), is a story of perseverance and inspiration that is indicative of the American spirit.

Thinking about how that day forever shaped history, my mind somehow began drifting towards baseball.  I started thinking of who are the best major league baseball players to be born after July 20, 1969.  Who are the best to play the game yet have never lived in a world where man had not walked on the moon?  Here’s what I came up with.

Lineup

1. Ichiro RF: Since arriving from Japan before the 2001 season, there has not been a better pure hitter in the game of baseball.  Ichiro has amassed over 2,500 hits, more than 400 stolen bases, and numerous awards including the rookie of the year and MVP in the same season. 

2. Derek Jeter SS: Perhaps the most iconic figure of his era, the Yankee captain is now mentioned in the same breath as Gehrig, Mantle, DiMaggio, Berra, and Ruth.  He has collected over 3,200 hits and before it is said and done he may pass Hank Aaron for third on that list.  The consummate professional, Jeter is a nice blend of a throwback player in a modern game.  Oh, and did I mention he has five World Series rings?

3. Albert Pujols 1B: As young as Albert Pujols is, he has the chance to be mentioned in the same company of legends like Hank Aaron and Willie Mays for having some of the most impressive careers numbers in the history of the game.  Only 32 years old, Pujols has already hit 473 homers and driven in over 1,400 runs.  And he has more than 2,200 career hits.  If he can remain healthy, he should reach 700 homeruns and 2,000 RBIs.  Those accomplishments will look nice beside his three MVPs and two World Series rings.

4. Ken Griffey, Jr. CF: Ken Griffey, Jr. barely makes the cut on this team, being born four months after the moon landing.  Griffey hit over 600 career homers and won 10 gold gloves.  If not for the strike that ended the 1994 season, he may have made at run at Roger Maris’s then single season homerun record.  If not for injuries late in his career and playing on mostly mediocre teams, his legacy would shine much brighter.

5. Alex Rodriguez DH: On my team as a DH only because he split his career between playing shortstop and third base, A-Rod has a chance to retire as only the fourth man in baseball history with over 700 homeruns.  Besides the homers, he will probably surpass the coveted 3,000 hit mark next season.  But perhaps the most astonishing stat on his resume is his 316 career steals.  Not many sluggers have those kind of wheels. 

6. Chipper Jones 3B: When his career ends later this season, Chipper Jones will go down as one of the greatest switch hitters in the history of the game.  With over 2,700 hits and 460 homeruns, he is also one of the greatest third basemen of all time.  His unselfish play (asking to move to the outfield for a few seasons in order to sign another third baseman is a perfect example) and leadership are second to none. 

7. Matt Holliday LF: I even surprised myself with this inclusion on the roster.  Matt Holliday is one day older than Pujols and even though his numbers are not in the same league as Albert's, they are pretty hard to ignore.  Since breaking into the league with the Rockies in 2004, there has not been a better left fielder in all of baseball.  His worst season batting average came in his rookie campaign when he only hit .290.  By the time the season ends, he will be over 1,500 hits, have over 225 homers, and should pass the 1,000 RBI mark next season.

8. Robinson Cano 2B: The youngest player on the list, Cano has all the tools to be the next Yankee great.  Cano has already accumulated over 1,400 career hits and has proven to be highly durable, missing only 10 games over the past six seasons.  On his current pace, he has a great chance to become one of the greatest second basemen of any generation.

9. Ivan Rodriguez C: Ivan Rodriguez may be the best pure hitter at catcher to ever play the game.  He also may be the best defensive catcher the game has ever seen.  Ivan finished his career with 2,844 hits (the most ever for a catcher), 311 homers, 13 gold gloves, and 46% caught stealing rate.  And for someone who played catcher, he was extremely durable, breaking into the majors at age 19 and retiring at the age of 40.  As it stands, he is one of the top five catchers in the history of the game.

Pitching Staff

1. C.C. Sabathia: Sabathia broke into the majors with the Indians in 2001 and has been a dominant lefty from the beginning.  Over the course of his twelve year career, he has a career record of 189-99 with over 2,100 strikeouts.  He has been a workhorse from the beginning of his career, only throwing fewer than 190 innings twice.  It is amazing that he has only won one Cy Young award.  Barring injury, C.C. is possibly the last pitcher with a shot of reaching the coveted 300 win mark.

2.  Roy Halladay: The man called Doc has had an amazing career, to say the least.  He broke in with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1998 and nearly threw a no-hitter in his second career start.  He finally broke through with a no-no during the 2010 season when he threw a perfect game in May and followed that up with only the second postseason no hitter ever against the Cincinnati Reds.  He has a career mark of 196-99, has over 2,000 strikeouts and has probably been the most dominant pitcher in the game since 2006.

3. Tim Hudson: Tim Hudson came up with the Oakland A's in 1999 and has been winning ballgames ever since.  He has a career record of  194-101 and has nearly 1,800 strikeouts.  His stuff is not as eye-popping as either Sabathia or Halladay, but his grit and determination on the mound are unrivaled.  He recently became only the fifth pitcher in Atlanta Braves history to record 100 wins since the franchise moved there in 1966.

4. Billy Wagner: Billy Wagner may be the most dominant left-handed reliever in baseball history.  Wagner finished his career with 422 saves, a K/9 inning ratio of 11.9, and a WHIP below one.  Wagner had planned to retire after the 2009 season but was talked out of it by Bobby Cox, who was himself retiring after the 2010 season.  In his true final season, Wagner tallied 37 saves, causing many to wonder why he would not return for another season.

5.  Mariano Rivera: Simply put, Rivera is the best closer the game has ever seen.  Mo, as he is affectionately known, has obliterated the all-time saves record, accruing 608 in his amazing career.  Most of his success has come on the back of one, single pitch: the cut fastball.  His unthinkable numbers are made more impressive by the fact that he did not make his major league debut until the age of 25.  Oh, yeah.  Did I mention that he also has five World Series rings?  When he retires, the season award for the best closer should be named for him.

 
A couple of guys that I really wanted to add to the team were Mike Mussina and Mike Piazza, but both were born in 1968; a year too early.  But even without these greats, the aforementioned roster is formidable.  And as always, thanks to the folks who maintain www.baseball-reference.com; I would love to have that job.  So, in memory of Neil Armstrong, I dub this team the Outta This World Team.