By: Mike Wagenman
Two of the best young players in the major leagues are,
without a doubt, Bryce Harper of the Nationals and Mike Trout of the
Angels. They are 19 and 20,
respectively, and arguably have more potential than almost any prospect in the
past decade. While Harper’s every
at-bat is national news, Trout is somehow flying under the radar out in
California and seems undeservingly overshadowed. Arguing over who is the better player between the two is
like splitting hairs, and it is much too early on in their careers. However, I posed the question “who is
more important to the success of his respective team?” on Twitter a few days
back, and got some mixed responses.
Here is a closer look.
Since being called up on April 28th and debuting
against the Dodgers, Harper is hitting .280 with seven home runs, 20 RBI and a
.361 on-base percentage. All very
stellar numbers for a rookie indeed.
However, the Nationals were 14-6 before Harper was added to the major
league roster and are just 27-24 since.
Although it is still early, the Nats’ record does not indicate extreme
benefit from Harper’s presence.
Some benefit, yes. Harper
also seems to be in the midst of a rookie slump; it looks as though opposing
pitchers are figuring him out, as evident by his 0-7 with five strikeouts
performance in a 14-inning loss to the Yankees. He is hitting just .186 with an on-base percentage of .255
and 14 strikeouts in his past 11 games.
In those 11 games, Harper has not hit a home run and has only driven in
one run.
With Michael Morse and Ryan Zimmerman limited by injury,
Adam LaRoche coming back down to earth, and the role players playing average at
best, Washington has been counting on their 19-year-old outfielder to put the
team on his shoulders and make his teammates better. It is a tall task for anyone, let alone a rookie. It is also no secret that the Nationals
are driven by their pitching, with a league best 2.97 ERA and .220 batting
average against. Judging by the
numbers and trends, it seems that the Nationals pitching is more beneficial
than Harper.
On the flip side of the coin in Los Angeles/Anaheim, the
Angels’ rookie has done nothing short of carrying his team. Trout is leading the American League
with a .338 batting average. In
just 51 games at the big league level, compared to around 70 for most other
regular starters, Trout is first in stolen bases (21), sixth in OPS (.931),
third in on-base percentage (.399), as told by Jake Dal Porto of Bustasports. He is the leadoff man for the Angels,
and is a true catalyst at the top of the lineup. Opposing pitchers and catchers have been concerned about
Trout on the bases, usually leading to mistakes, hits, and runs for the
Angels.
The Angels were a lowly 6-14 before Trout was called up, but
are 32-19 since and have gained five games on the division leading Rangers. While Harper is still a
work-in-progress in the outfield, Trout is a legitimate Gold Glove candidate in
the outfield. He has just one
error, and uses his speed to cover an incredible amount of ground. He has made driving, running, and
jumping catches all season long, saving runs for his team. Trout’s constant presence on the bases
has lead to a higher batting average for his teammates like Torii Hunter,
Albert Pujols, Kendrys Morales, and Mark Trumbo, most of who were struggling to
start the year. Trout has proven
to be a game-changer, and a guy that drives the Angel offense.
Although Bryce Harper has an infinite amount of talent and
potential, it is clear that Mike Trout has done far more for his team. Yet, somehow he still does not get the
recognition he deserves. His
speed, hitting, and defense change games for Los Angeles. Tune in to watch Harper and the
Nationals take on the Rockies at 8:40 PM ET and Trout and the Angels take on
the Orioles at 7:05 PM ET.
Sources: ESPN, Bustasports, SweetSpot Network
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